Madness
by bXtrodinary
Summary: Leonardo has been the calm, collected, and loving leader his brothers have relied on for so long. He was always there with the right thing to say and a plan, until a tragic accident causes Leo's mind to split. Will his brothers be able to reverse this madness Leo has succumbed to, or will they have to say goodbye to their leader and brother? (set in 2013 universe)
1. Chapter 1

**Okay…so this is my first fanfic…ever. It's also my first full blown story. I usually write one shots, but I thought that I would try something new! Expand my horizons! :D It was pretty challenging for me to get it started because I'm used to moving quickly through the story not giving to much detail, but it was also a lot of fun! By the way, this story was inspired by the song Madness by Muse. (I know it's my title too…I'm just not good at naming things *sigh*) It's such an amazing song! Anyways, this story is my idea of how I think the Turtles would react to the breakdown of their leader, Leonardo. Hopefully this first chapter will make you want to read more…it's pretty short though. *face palm* Next time I'll do better! Pinky promise! Now please read and enjoy. **

Madness

Chapter One: Normality

_Madness._

The entire entity of what I once knew. The ironic thing was that it wasn't true madness. All of it made sense, it was normal. It was.

_Madness._

This feeling of what I knew but didn't know. This darkness, consuming my mind and being. I must search for the light in this never ending darkness.

_Madness._

I feel as though I am being clawed out from this familiar insanity. Not knowing what is ahead or behind me.

_Madness. _

The feeling of security when there is, in fact, none.

Donnie woke up suddenly from his nightmare clutching wads of paper. _What the shell,_ he thought to himself,_ what was that all about?_ _It felt so real…so…true, but it sounded like someone else was talking. If it wasn't me…who was it? _Donnie rest his head in his hands. _Ugh…I can't think about this right now. I have more important things to deal with. However, I can agree that my life may be a little mad… _Donnie chuckled to himself, _but in a good way. _As if right on queue Mikey stormed into Donnie's lab hurling a water balloon at his brother, hitting Donnie right in the face. The satisfying splash put a huge grin on Mikey's face. "Doctor Prankenstine strikes again!" and as quickly as he came, Mikey sprinted away. Normally Donnie would chase after Mikey getting his revenge, but he was just too mentally drained to care. Donnie looked around to make sure that his experiments were going smoothly. His latest project was to fully understand the mutagen and its power. It would make him one step closer to fully understanding himself, his brothers, and the other mutants running around New York…and how to save them. Donnie walked over to Timothy. The proof of his failure. "Don't worry Timothy, I'm close to figuring out how to change you back." Donnie placed a hand on the glass containing his poor student, doomed to be a gelatinous mess unless he figured something out. "I promise."

Leo saw his brother sprinting down the hall. There was no doubt in his mind that his brother pulled yet another one of his pranks. It amazes him that no matter how many beatings he gets from all of them, he still continues to do it. That's Mikey for ya. Always doing whatever it took to put a smile on your face. Leo chuckled and thought to himself, _He's probably going after Raph now…_ "HAHA! Doctor Prankenstine strikes!" "MIIIKEEEY!" A small smile formed on Leo's face. _Called it. _ "I'm gonna beat you so far into your shell you'll never see the light of day again!" Leo laughed as he poured some coffee for himself and Donnie. Eventually, the Lair grew silent. _Okay…Mikey's gonna make his move on me in about three…two…one. _Leo slid to the left expertly dodging his brother's water balloon causing it to splash against the fridge. "DUDE! How do you always know?!" Mikey's face was so shocked. Leo couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry Mikey," Leo taunted "but Dr. Prankenstine has to do way better than a water balloon to get me!" "Oh don't you worry bro…Dr. Prankenstine is always ready." Mikey playfully punched his brother's arm. "Ok whatever you say…how 'bout you start breakfast? We all know that I don't need to do it." "Ain't that the truth." Raph, always with a pleasant greeting. "Mornin' Raph!" Mikey beamed "Don't push your luck Mikey." Mikey just smiled and continued to make scrambled eggs. Leo walked over to Raph and put his arm on Raph's shoulder "I wouldn't get rid of him just yet, Raph. He is the only one here who can really cook." Raph shrugged, "Doesn't mean that he's not a pain in my ass." Leo just smiled and shook his head. "I'm gonna take some coffee to Donnie." Mikey slowly lifted his attention from his scrambled eggs and to his brother. "Leo?" "Yeah Mikey?" "Is…is Donnie ok?" Leo paused. Donnie has been in his lab longer than usual. For about a week he has been in there, only to come out for food and water. It's normal for him to retreat into his lab for a day or so, but this prolonged absence is making everyone worry. "He's fine Mikey. You know how he gets. He has to finish one thing before he can think to do anything else." "Okay…here, take this." Mikey handed Leo a plate of eggs and some toast. "Thanks Mikey, Donnie will appreciate it."

Leo turned and headed to Donnie's lab. Slowly, Leo opened the door. He knows how his little brother doesn't like to be disturbed while he's working. "Donnie?" Donnie remained motionless, completely absorbed in his work. The sound of spinning vials and smell of chemicals filled the air. Leo still can't believe how his brother can stand all these fumes. It was enough to make anyone's head spin. "Donnie?" He continued to type on his computer lost in the charts and data, completely oblivious. At this point, Leo was done being gentle. "DONNIE!" Donnie jumped out of his chair, making it fly half way across the room. "LEO! You know I don't li- is that eggs and toast?" "Yeah, Mikey made it for you." Donnie smiled sheepishly, gratefully took the plate and coffee cup from Leo, and sat down to eat. "Thanks." He immediately started to shovel eggs into his mouth. After his brother was able to get a few good sized bites of egg, Leo broke the silence. "So…what have you been up to Donnie? The guys and I haven't seen you for days." Donnie paused and looked up from his plate. "Oh yeah, sorry about that. I just get so lost in my experiments…there is so much data for me to explore and new things to find and-" "Donnie..." "Sorry...I have been trying to understand the mutagen so that I can find a cure for Timothy," Donnie motioned over to his blob of a student "to no avail." Leo noticed the pile of empty mutagen cylinders. They had managed to get some from the Kraang a few weeks ago, at Donnie's request. "So that's why it smells so bad in here. That mutagen has a strong smell Donnie." "Really?" Donnie shrugged, "I haven't noticed." Leo rolled his eyes. "You need some fresh air, or at least come out of your lab. Mikey's getting worried." Donnie sprung up from his seat. "But I can't just abandon Timothy! He needs me! I **have** to fix my wrong. Master Splinter said that he's my responsibility and-" "You also have a responsibility to yourself, Donnie." Leo said calmly, "You need to take care of yourself. Staying in this lab for days on end is not good for you. If you go topside with us tonight, your mind will become more clear and alert. I'm sure once your head clears from all these harsh fumes," Leo waved the pungent smell from his nose "you'll be able to focus more on the task at hand." Donnie sighed. "You're right Leo...I need to take a break. I'll go tonight." "Good." A wave of relief flooded over Leo, but it was quickly replaced with suspicion. _When Donnie gets like this_, Leo thought to himself _it's usually a lot harder to convince him to stop._ "Why don't you bring your breakfast and eat it in the kitchen with the rest of us?" Donnie just sighed and looked over at Timothy. _Okay, I really need to get him out of this lab._ Concerned, Leo walked over to his little brother and placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Don't worry, bro. You'll figure this out. I know you can." Donnie looked at his brother and smiled. "Thanks Leo." Smiling back, Leo put his hand on Donnie's shell and walked toward the kitchen. "No problem, now let's go." _Finally._

"Donnie!" Mikey ran up to his big brother and gave him the tightest hug possible. "Hey Mikey." Donnie hugged back and looked over his brother's shoulder. "Hey Raph." "…sup." Raph looked up from his plate. "So brainiack, what cha been up to?" Donnie wiggled out of Mikey's hug. "I've been trying to figure out how to change Timothy back to normal." Raph laughed. "Him? The _Pulverizeor_?" Raph rolled his eyes. "That idiot got himself, and us, into so much shit. When you fix him Donnie, he will probably just go off and try to do it again. He's convinced that stuff will turn him into some sort of superhero." Leo glared at his brother. "Raph. Have some faith in your brother and Timothy." _Raph…faith? Man, those fumes must have gotten to my head. _"I'm not taking it back, dude. We all know it's the truth." Raph walked off to the pit and turned his attention to the TV.

"So have you found anything Donnie?" Leo asked "Well…sort of." Donnie slumped into his seat. "I have been able to see strands of Timothy's normal and mutated DNA during the blood tests. They are both coexisting with each other instead of fusing together. It has changed the way I've always looked at mutated DNA." Donnie noticed his brother's confused faces. "I always thought that the original DNA was changed into something new leaving behind barley any traces of the DNA's original form. That's what I found while looking at our blood tests. However, Timothy's case is different. Since he wasn't in contact with any organic specimen before his mutation, his DNA didn't have anything to merge with; but he still mutated." Raph's attention shifted from the TV to his brothers. "Well that's obvious, genius. He's a giant pile of goo." "Exactly." said Donnie. This just made his brother's even more confused. "Because he had nothing to merge with, there was nothing the mutagen could do besides melt him into a shapeless blob. That's what always confused me until now." Leo could sense where this was heading. "There was no bridge to connect the gap. Knowing this, I have formed a theory. The mutagen needs three parts in order for it to work properly. One," Donnie raised his finger. "the original DNA. Two," next finger "the DNA of another species which acts as the bridge between the two forms of DNA. Three," final finger "the mutagen DNA. Without these three components, the mutagen will not work leaving the victim shapeless. Since his human DNA is still intact, the mutated DNA is just influencing his human DNA telling it to be **something** but has nothing to use to tell it **what** to be. Therefore, Timothy is just a-" "Pile of goop!" Mikey's goofy grin spread across his face. "Yes, Mikey," Donnie smiled, "a pile of goop. If I could get some higher technology, maybe I could figure out a way to separate Timothy from the influence of the mutagen DNA." _Great,_ Leo thought,_ he wants us to go to Kraang headquarters and steal more tech…_ "So we need to go to-" "No." Donnie was shocked. "But you didn't even hear what I was about to say, Leo." Crossing his arms, Leo prepared to stop his brother's plan. "I don't have to. You want to go and get more Kraang tech. We can't do that right now. They almost caught us last time, and we don't need any more trouble with them than what we already have. Plus they are working with Shedder. If they see us, there is no doubt in my mind that his men will show up too." Donnie couldn't believe what his brother was saying. _Didn't he just support my research a few minutes ago?_ "But Leo! I'm so close to saving him! We are going topside tonight any way!" Leo stood his ground. "Yeah, to do our normal patrol, **not** to go looking for trouble." Donnie just stopped trying. _Leo's so stubborn. Fighting with him will solve nothing. I'll just go later tonight. Maybe I'll bring Raph along…he always likes going against Leo's orders. _"Fine." Donnie stormed off to his room. "Donnie! Dude, wait up!" Mikey sprinted after Donnie to go try and calm him down. "Man, Leo…I haven't seen you get like that with Donnie in a while…that's usually our thing." Raph playfully punched Leo's arm, a little too hard. Leo rubbed his arm "haha…yeah." _Nothing good will come from this, _Leo thought to himself,_ an angry Donnie is a dangerous...and distracted Donnie._

**LATER THAT NIGHT**

"Alright guys, let's go!" Time for another patrol. Usually Leo looks forward to going topside. It's a chance for him to clear his head and get some adrenaline pumping, especially if they get to beat down on some Purple Dragons but not tonight. Leo knows that something is going to go down. He just hopes that everything will end up alright.

Everyone was in check and ready to go, except Donnie. "Donnie! Let's **go**! We're burning moonlight!" Donnie poked his head out from the entry to his lab. "I'm sorry Leo, but I'm not going tonight. I'm so close to an answer. I can feel it." Leo's expression turned hard. Before he could say anything, Mikey decided to speak up. "Come on Donnie! You need to come with us, bro. We are a team." Mikey pleaded, "Like Leo said, it'll do ya good." "No. Sorry guys. I'll try to catch up with you later." Leo was too frustrated to try and convince his brother. Mikey can try, but Donnie will just end up staying. As they were fixing to leave, Donnie came out from his lab. "Hey Raph?" Raph whipped around, just as frustrated at Donnie as Leo. "What." "Could you stay and help me lift a few pieces of equipment around?" Raph just stood there and crossed his arms. "What's a matter soft shell? Too weak to do it yourself?" "Could you for once just help me out without insulting me?" Raph assumed an exaggerated thinking pose. "Hmmm…no." Donnie sighed "So will you do it or not?!" "Woah! Hold on there brainiack!" Raph walked over to his brother taking on an air of sarcastic sympathy "No need to pop a gasket." He said while waving his finger like a parent getting onto a small child. "You need all of those you can get." Donnie shoved his brother's finger away. "So you're staying?" Raph rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I'll stay soft shell." Donnie just shook his head and motioned to Leo and Mikey "We will be done here in about two hours. We will catch up to you then. If we don't, that means that we are still here." Leo knew there was more going on than moving equipment, but he decided not to deal with it right now. He needed to get this patrol started otherwise they wouldn't cover enough ground. "Sure. Alright Mikey, let's go." As soon as Mikey and Leo were out of sight and well into the sewers, Donnie and Raph started to move equipment.

"Alright, so which one are we movin' Donnie?" Donnie waved his hand "We are not moving equipment Raph." "What!? You mean I'm missin out on a Purple Dragon beat down for nothing?!" "Raph," Donnie said calmly, "we are doing something so much better than beating Purple Dragons." That caught Raph's attention. "Hmm…ok. So, what are we doing exactly?" "We are going into Kraang headquarters." Raph was surprised. _It's not like Donnie to go against Leo like this._ Raph thought to himself, _This whole Timothy thing really has gotten to him…I kinda like it. It's about time he started standing up for himself. _Raph gave Donnie one of his half smiles. "This…is gonna be fun."

**Soooo? How'd I do? I think I did ok but not the best. I know it's short but I just felt like that was a good place to stop. Ugh…I'm still getting the hang of things… :/ All reviews are welcomed! Please give me some constructive criticism. That would help sooo much! :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is! Chapter 2! I feel a little better about this chapter than the last one. I really got to explore Donnie and Raph's relationship…which gave me the chance to use a bunch of insults and come backs MWAHAHA! XD By the way, I forgot to mention the name of the Kraang's HQ, TCRI...*face palm* that's pretty important. I also make some references to past episodes of the 2013 TMNT series. If you get confused (or curious ;D ), watch the episode TCRI. It's the one I refer to the most in this chapter. Anyways, please read and enjoy! **

Madness

Chapter 2: Split

The shielding dark of night had finally settled in, cloaking New York City. Donnie and Raph leapt from rooftop to rooftop closing in on their target, TCRI. The beating heart of the Kraang. Donnie could see the glowing lights of the building. _Almost there…gotta go faster. We have less than two hours to get this done. _Donnie willed his legs to go faster, pushing every muscle to their limits. _Five more rooftops. _Donnie's heart pumped faster, filling his body with adrenalin. _Four. _Donnie leaped into the air landing with a satisfying thud. _Three. _Donnie could feel his head becoming clearer, sharper, faster. _Two. _Donnie's senses were becoming keener. He could feel New York all around him. _One. _With one final bound, Donnie reached the final rooftop skidding to a stop. He looked over his shoulder searching for Raph. He could see him about two rooftops behind. _Guess his short legs couldn't take the heat_. Donnie laughed to himself. A few seconds later, Raph was at Donnie's side. "Dude! I hate…when you…get like this…" Raph said in between breaths. "What's a matter 'soft shell' can't keep up?" Raph glared at Donnie. "Don't push it." Raph nodded his head toward the TCRI building. "So, what's your plan anyway?" "Well, I have an idea of what I'm looking for. If my suspicions are correct," Donnie pulled out a map of TCRI from his belt and placed it on a nearby AC unit. "they would keep the m-" "Donnie. Can you keep your geek-tech talk to a minimum?" Donnie shot a look at Raph. "Machine. I was going to say _machine_. I wouldn't expect you to comprehend the 'geek-tech talk' anyway." Donnie sighed. "They would keep it on this level." He pointed to floor thirty-seven on the map. "Donnie…that's _deep_ in Kraang country. The last time we were in there," Raph threw his arms up, "we couldn't even breathe the damn air!" Donnie smiled "Don't worry, Raph. I've got that problem covered." Donnie reached into his belt and presented his latest invention. Raph shook his head. "Those are ninja smoke bombs. You showed us those already." Donnie waved his hand. "No, these are different. Notice I marked them with an AP. This stands for Air Purifier. I will throw these into the room, and they'll make the air safe for us to breathe while making it not so safe for the Kraang. If I did it right, it should knock them out for thirty minutes." "Okay. Sounds good. But what about getting in past all those Kraang? Last time, your girlfriend-" "She's **not** my girlfriend!" Raph rolled his eyes. "Whatever. She got us there 'special delivery'. We can't exactly do that now, especially with Leatherhead being gone and all. He held a lot of them off for us." Donnie put away his AP's and looked at Raph. "That's why this needs to be a stealth mission." "Damn…" Raph whipped out his sais. "Looks like you guys won't taste metal tonight…" Raph's smile escaped on his face "maybe." Donnie grabbed Raph's wrists. "No Raph. They won't. Unless you _want_ to perish in a pile of Kraang bots?" Raph ripped his wrists from Donnie's grip and put away his sais. "Fine. As long as I get to beat a few of them." "As long as it's done silently, I don't care."

Donnie looked over to the TCRI building. "We need to move." With that Donnie leaped off the edge of the building safely landing on the alley floor. _Alright, let's do this. _Raph thought to himself. Just as he was about to jump and follow his brother, Raph saw something move in the corner of his eye. It came from behind an AC unit. Raph whipped around. _What was that?_ He decided to investigate. Twirling his sais, he slowly approached the AC unit. "Raph!" Donnie softly yelled from the alley. "What are you doing? We are wasting time!" _Ugh, he's starting to sound like Leo. _Raph took one last glance and leaped over the edge of the building following his brother.

Donnie and Raph made their way to a vent on the side of TCRI. Donnie grabbed the sides of the grate and started to pull but noticed that it was locked with a Kraang key pad. "Good thing I got an app for that!" Donnie started to pull out his T-Phone only to be shoved out of the way by Raph. "Move, genius." Using his sais, Raph started stabbing at the lock. "Raph! Stop! You could set off an-" _**Click.**_ Raph crossed his arms proudly "You were saying?" Donnie sighed "Just take the stupid grate off."

Once inside the vent, Donnie was determined to not waist anymore time. His entire focus was on the mission and nothing more. "Do you even know where you are going?" Raph whispered "Shh! Ninjas stay _quiet_." "Bro, you're starting to sound like Leo…" "Shhh!" Donnie raised his hand and stopped. They had reached a four-way intersection of vents. "I need to listen…" Donnie focused, listening for the sound of an elevator. _Come on…there's obviously an elevator somewhere. If I can find it, it'll give us a straight shot to level thirty-seven…There! _"We need to go up." Donnie pointed to the vent above him and jumped. Raph followed.

When they had been climbing for a good five minutes Raph was starting to get annoyed. "Alright Donnie. Where are we going?" "Elevator." _Thank God…_ Raph thought "That has to be the best idea you've had all night." Suddenly, Donnie stopped nearly causing Raph to lose his grip. "Watch it!" "Sorry. We've reached the elevator shaft. I just need to remove this grate. Hand me one of you sais." Raph handed Donnie a sai. Carefully, Donnie used the tip as a screwdriver and loosened the screws. "Okay, here's your sai." Donnie handed back Raph's sai and then punched the grate, making it fall down onto the top of the elevator and made his way through the small opening. Once Raph got through the hole, the elevator started to go up. "Yes. We get to catch a ride." Donnie looked at the floor marker on the wall, twelve. Raph and Donnie jumped onto the roof of the elevator. "Wanna use a smoke bomb and hijack this elevator?" suggested Raph. Donnie smiled, "You read my mind."

Donnie whipped out some smoke bombs and Raph opened the emergency exit. _One. _Smoke bomb. _Two. _Storm inside._ Three. _Secure elevator._ Four. _Safely ride. "The ones known as the Turtles are-" Raph stabbed his sais through the last Kraang droid's head while continuing it's sentence__"taking this place known as the elevator to the place known as level thirty-two to take the thing known as the machine which is useful for the plan for the ones known as…ugh you know what I mean…" Donnie just rolled his eyes and laughed while Raph pulled his sais out of the Kraang droid and pushed the button for level thirty-seven. "This is nice." said Donnie "Yeah," Raph wiped off some grease on his shoulder, "finally some time to catch our breath." "….Do you remember the plan, Raph?" Raph gave Donnie a shocked look. "Of course I do, genius! I'm not Mikey!" Donnie threw up his hands. "Alright! I was just making sure." Donnie turned his attention to the elevator's screen. 33…34…35…36...37…_**Ding**_. "Kraang has arrived to the place known as level thirty-seven." Donnie looked to his brother. His face full of determination. "Let's do this." As soon as the elevator doors opened, Donnie threw in his AP's unleashing the blue gas throughout the entire room.

The Kraang panicked. It was like they threw a rock at a wasp's nest. They were flying everywhere crashing into one another trying to find a way to escape. Raph pointed and laughed at the disoriented aliens. "Those idiots came from an alternate dimension with giant lava-rock monsters, but they are scared of some blue gas?" Donnie pushed his brother forward. "Come on Raph, the air should be safe now. We need to start looking." Raph looked around stepping over piles of knocked out Kraang. The amount of technology in the room was overwhelming. Counters full of vials, clipboards, and notes. Shelves were overflowing with random gadgets, and computers with funky keyboards lined the steel walls. _Man, _Raph thought to himself, _where do I start? _ "It would help to know what I am looking for, Donnie." Donnie lifted his attention from a test tube of pink liquid. "Yeah…it would wouldn't it?" Raph was shocked. Usually Donnie knows what he's doing, but now he's thrown caution to the wind. _This is so unlike Donnie._ Raph thought. "You mean you don't know what you're looking for?!" Donnie shrugged "I'll know it when I see it." Raph shook his head. "Great plan." Donnie turned away from Raph continuing with his work. "Will you just let me work in **peace**?!" "Fine!" Raph continued to look blindly grabbing stuff that seemed important. Then he saw what was in the center of the room.

The last time they were here, the Kraang had their gate to Dimension X in the middle of the room. Now, it has been replaced with what looks like a giant metal pod. It was hooked up to a glass box of mutagen and another container of who knows what. _I really don't want to find out what that is for…_ Raph thought to himself. He saw some small hand held machine on a table nearby. _That looks important._ Raph was making his way over to the table when he felt something cold grab his ankle. "The one known as Raphael will not be stealing important tech from the one known as Kraang!" "Auargh! Eat sais freak!" Raph stabbed the Kraang droid and managed to get it off his ankle. He looked around and noticed that some other Kraang droids were starting to move. "Donnie…how long has it been?" Donnie check his T-Phone. "We still have twenty minutes, Raph." Raph saw more droids starting to move. "Then I guess you need to check your AP's later!" "What!?" Donnie looked around and to his horror, he saw one of the Kraang droids get up and push the alarm. "Damnit!" Raph yelled and threw a ninja star at the Kraang's head, meeting its target "Damnit it all!" He ran over to the table and grabbed the hand held device along with some flash drives. "We gotta get out of here Donnie!" Donnie didn't move from his spot. "I have to get what I came for Raph! We can't go yet! I just need a few more minutes!" Raph grabbed his brother's arm. He'll drag him out of here if he has to. "We don't have a few minutes Donnie! If we're lucky, we have a few **seconds**! We gotta go **now**!" But it was too late. All of the Kraang droids were awake, and the elevator doors opened with dozens more pouring out. "Shit Donnie! Look what you got us into!" Raph said while whipping out is sais. "Don't take it out on me Raph!" said Donnie while arming himself with is bo staff, "We need to make it out of here first!" Just as the Kraang droids were closing in on them, a familiar cry filled the air.

"BOOYAKASHA!"

Mikey and Leo jumped down from the rafters landing on top of Kraang droids. The turtles leapt into battle. Raph and Leo teamed up slashing through dozens of droids. Donnie and Mikey managed to get the doors of the elevators to stay closed so no more droids could get through. They had enough as it is. Donnie ran over to a table covered in technology. "Donnie! Dude, what are you doing?!" "Cover me Mikey! I need to find what I came here for!" Donnie's hands flew over the technology. _Uuh okay Donnie, think. What do you need? Ugh! I don't know! I CANT WORK UNDER PRESSURE!_

Laser shots were flying everywhere and more droids were managing to get in from the upper level. The room was quickly filling with more Kraang droids than they could deal with. "Leo!" Mikey yelled in between strikes, "up top, bro!" Leo looked up and noticed what Mikey was talking about. The droids were taking higher ground. "Raph!" Leo motioned up and they both went after the droids. Normally, they worked seamlessly as a team. If Leo was overpowered, Raph would step in and vice versa. This was not a normal day. There were too many for the both of them to handle, and they were getting separated. Leo fought them off as hard as he could, managing to fend them off. He looked at Raph. _He seems to be doing fine. _Leo thought to himself. During this moment of distraction, one of the Kraang droids took a swing at Leo knocking him to the ground. The Kraang droids formed a circle around Leo, towering over him. "The one known as Leonardo will not be leaving this place known as level thirty-seven." Leo noticed he was at the edge of the platform. Within jumping reach was a cable hanging down from the ceiling. _That's my best bet._ Leo grabbed his katana and ran through the wall of Kraang droids taking the leap of faith.

Raph, Donnie, and Mikey fought their way through the droids sending them all crashing to the floor. A few droids remained, but they were at the bottom of the mountain of disabled droids, unable to get free. "Ok guys let's go and help Leo." "Uh…Raph…I don't think Leo will need our help, bro." Mikey pointed over in Leo's direction. Raph and his brothers saw him take the jump. "Donnie, is that cable attached to anything?" asked Raph. They could all hear the nervousness in his voice. Donnie looked franticly to see what the cable was connected to. Just when he found the bracket holding his brother, he saw it give way. "Ahh!" They all screamed, "LEO!" Raph saw his older brother plummet toward the ground. _It'll be ok, he thought Leo's suffered worse falls it'll be fi-_ then he heard a splash.

_Ok, I did it._ Leo thought as he reached out for the cable. His confidence grew as his hand grasped the very thing that he believed would save his life. _Good now I just have to land on that plat-…crap. _He felt the cable give way. Leo's stomach flew into his throat as he made his descent to the unforgiving floor. "Ahh! LEO!" _Alright…I've done worse. They know that. I'll be fine. _He believed it too, until he heard a splash instead of a thud. A slimy substance engulfed Leo's body, making him tingle all over. _Shit. _Leo knew exactly what he was in, mutagen. _I gotta get out of here! _Leo tried to move, but it was as if his limbs were made of lead. _Okay, not good. _He tried calling out to his brothers, but his mouth wouldn't move. He couldn't even make a sound. _At least I know I'm not dead…for now. _Leo felt his head start to get heavy. _I can't…what's happ…got to…my brot… _Leo's mind faded into darkness.

_**You won't be needing them anymore, Leonardo. **_

_What? Who are you? Where am I?_

_**It's time you relinquished your duties as leader.**_

_Never. _

_**You don't need them, they hold you back.**_

_They are my family. If anything, they push me forward._

_**You just said "if anything". You doubt your family's value to your success.**_

_No I don't. I love them, and they love me._

_**For now.**_

**And that is it my friends! **** Chapter two comes to an end. I have to say, I didn't think that writing a full blown story would be this much fun! *throws fist into air* *smiles all round* As always reviews, are appreciated! Till next time ;) **


	3. Chapter 3

**Here comes Chapter three! This chapter was really challenging. Can't really tell you my problems with it right now…it might give something away. ;) Thank you to those who have reviewed! It really means a lot to me. J Now on to the story!**

Madness

Chapter Three: Control

"Leo!" Mikey and his brothers bolted down the steps and to their fallen brother, suspended in the container of mutagen. "Guys! We gotta get him out of there!" Mikey started to climb up the side to reach in and grab his brother. "Mikey, don't!" Donnie grabbed and pulled Mikey off of the container. "We don't know what it'll do to you." Mikey's face became even more panicked. "Well we can't just **leave** him!" "We won't leave him Mikey." Raph said as he rested a hand on Mikey's shell. "Donnie, do your thing and get him out of there. Me and Mikey will stand watch over there. The Foot could be showing up any minute." Donnie walked over to the pod's control panel and started to hack into the system while Raph and Mikey went to their positions. _Okay, _Donnie thought, _it looks like these two vessels' contents are set up to drain into this pod. I just need to find the right command…man I wish the Kraang spoke English...normally. _Donnie typed furiously, hoping to hit the right combination of keys. **_Woop. Woop._** The two containers started to drain. _Yes! _"Hey! Guys! I got it!" Raph and Mikey ran over to Donnie just as the last bit of mutagen drained, freeing Leo from his entrapment. Mikey started to climb again. This time, Raph grabbed Mikey's shell and threw him to the ground. "Leo still has mutagen all over him, shell-brain." Just as Raph finished his sentence, a clear substance filled the glass box and quickly drained away. "Well that's lucky." said Donnie, "It cleans automatically." Mikey started to climb again but paused halfway. "**Now** can I get 'em?" "**Yes**!" answered Donnie "Hurry up!" Raph urged. Mikey quickly climbed to the top and jumped down to his brother. "Don't worry, bro." Mikey hoisted Leo onto his shoulder. "You'll be ok." "Come on Mikey! We need to get out of here!" Mikey quickly climbed out of the box. When he got to his brothers, Raph stepped in front of him. "Let me take him." It was more of an order than a suggestion. Reluctantly, Mikey handed Leo to Raph. With a look of determination on his face, Raph headed toward the window. "Let's go."

On the outside, Leo looked calm and completely oblivious to what was going on. Little did his brothers know, he was facing a battle of his own.

_What do you mean 'for now'? My brothers will always be there for me._

**_You are so ignorant. Can't you see they are already turning against you? Listen to them._**

"We gotta get him out of there!" "Mikey, don't!"

**_They want to _****_leave_****_ you, _****_abandon_****_ you._**

_No. Donnie knows that this mutagen is dangerous. He's just protecting Mikey._

**_You fool! Listen. Again._**

"We'll just **leave** him!"

**_You see? Even your youngest, most innocent brother wants to desert you._**

_No. You're wrong._

**_You still see the good in them? Leonardo, you are so senseless. Try again._**

"Donnie, do your thing and get him out of there. Me and Mikey will stand watch. The Foot could be showing up any minute."

"Hey! Guys! I got it!"

_Ha! I told you my brothers are here for me! Donnie's already hacked into the system, and the mutagen is starting to drain. _

**_How can you not see that Raphael is replacing you? He just gave orders. Michelangelo and Donatello followed. When you took the position as leader, he questioned Homato Yoshi's judgment. He's been after you ever since! _**

_No. He's…wait...wait a minute! It's filling back up!_

**_Open you eyes, Leonardo! Donatello is just looking at you like an experiment now. You are _****_dead_****_ to him. Now he wants to see how this other mutagen affects you._**

_No he's not. Donnie loves science but not more than his brothers. Besides, it's gone now. _

**_You are trying my patience, Leonardo. _**

"Well that's lucky. It screens automatically."

_What?! I've been…screened?_

**_He does not want his latest experiment to suffer damage during travel. It could affect his results._**

_I'm __**not**__ his experiment. _

**_Whatever you say. I am hearing the exact same things you are. The only difference is that I am not _****_daft_****_._**

_No. You're the one who's 'daft'. I can feel Mikey picking me up right now. _

**_That is what seems to be happening, but I challenge you to think. Is he saving you from this situation, or is he just following orders from his new leader, Raphael?_**

_I don't have to think. I know his is saving me._

**_Listen, Leonardo!_**

"Get 'em **now**?" "Yes!" "Hurry up!" "Don't worry, bros. We'll be ok." "Come on Mikey! We need to get out of here!"

**_How about now, Leonardo? Do you still have doubts?_**

_Yes. This is not true. _

**_Ninjas are supposed to be intelligent…_**

"Let me take him."

_See? Raph knows I'm too heavy for Mikey to run with. He's looking out for my safety._

**_He knows that Donatello does not want his latest experiment to be dropped while being carried back to his lab._**

_..._

**_You have no leg to stand on, Leonardo. You are weak, spineless, and unwise. Your inability to notice this sooner has cost you. They have just been waiting for their opportunity, and you handed it to them. _**

_No. _

**_A childish rebuttal…I expected more from you. _**

_They are not out to get me. We are brothers, always. No matter what. They would never use me or take advantage of me in this way. Even if they did think I was gone, they would not be treating me like this. I am their leader, protector, friend, and brother. I am not letting this change anything. I am not going to give in. I am not letting you get to me. _

**_In time, Leonardo…in time. _**

Raph and his brothers sprinted across the street. _Damn,_ Raph thought,_ Leo's a lot heavier than he looks. _Raph switched Leo from one shoulder to the other. "Easy Raph! Don't drop him!" "I'm not gonna drop him, Mikey!" Donnie reached down and moved the manhole cover and jumped down. Raph shrugged Leo off of his shoulder and eased him down to Donnie. "Oomph. I didn't expect him to be this heavy." Donnie said as he put Leo onto his shoulder. "Yeah," Raph jumped down, "our fearless leader is a fat ass." Donnie's face hardened "Raph, Leo could be _dying_ and you're making jokes?" Raph looked down at the sewer floor "Could be. We don't know that yet." Mikey jumped down, wearing his goofy grin. "Know what?" Raph and Donnie looked at each other. "Uh…don't worry 'bout it Mikey." Mikey shrugged, "Okay." "Come on guys," said Donnie, "we are wasting time." Raph, Donnie, and Mikey sprinted toward the Lair. "Uhh…guys?" asked Mikey as they rounded a corner "Who's going to tell Splinter?" All of their faces went blank. Nobody wanted to be the bearer of bad news, and this will devastate Splinter. For years, he has had nightmares of his sons going up top and not coming back alive. His nightmares could become a reality. Eventually, Donnie spoke up. "I'll tell him." He looked down at Leo. "This is all my fault." _I should have listened to you. _

Donnie led the way into the Lair with Mikey and Raph following closely behind. Donnie could smell candles burning. _He must be meditating. Not only do I have to tell him all this, I have to interrupt his meditation. _Donnie sighed "Splinter is in his room." "Do you want us to go with you?" asked Mikey. "No. This is my fault. If I had just listened, none of this would've happened. I need to take full responsibility for this." "No," Raph said firmly, "you don't." Donnie was shocked that Raph would say something like this. Usually, he would gladly let someone take the blame. "We need to stay together on this one. That's another thing that got us in this mess." "Okay," Donnie nodded his head towards Splinter's room "let's go."

The three brothers waited outside of their master's room. "Yup," Raph waved the strong smell of jasmine from his nose, "he is defiantly meditating." "Okay guys," Mikey said hesitantly, "this whole 'stay together' thing is good and all," Mikey started to back up slowly, "but I think you guys can handle this." Just as Mikey was going to run off, Raph grabbed his shell. "Oh no you don't. If we go down, you're comin' with." Raph pulled open the entryway to Splinter's room and motioned to Donnie "After you…" Donnie took a deep breath. _Here we go._

Donnie stepped into his master's room, followed by Raph and Mikey. "S-sensei?" Splinter continued to face the wall of candles. "Yes, my son?" _How am I going to tell him this? _"Uhh...it's-it's Leo." Splinter could hear the nervousness in his son's voice. "Is something wrong?" _Oh nothing, _Raph thought to himself,_ he just might be dying! Hurry it up, genius. _"Yes, Sensei." Donnie swallowed, trying to remove the tightness in his throat. "There has been an accident." Splinter rose from his meditation and turned to face his son. To his horror, he saw a passed out Leonardo in the arms of a very frightened Donatello. On the outside, Splinter remained calm. "Take him to your lab and start diagnostics." "Hai, Sensei." Donnie, Raph, and Mikey bowed and ran to Donnie's lab.

_I knew this day would come, just…not so soon. _A tear rolled down Splinter's face.

"Mikey, go get a cot! Raph, go get that heart monitor in the corner!" They quickly followed Donnie's orders. Donnie placed Leo on the cot and hooked him up to the heart monitor. When Donnie put the last sensor on Leo, the flat line jumped. A sigh of relief flooded the room. "Ok, that's a good sign." said Donnie "Now what?" asked Mikey "Well," Donnie took a seat next to Leo, "I'll need to run some tests to make sure his brain and other vital organs haven't been effected. However," Donnie paused, putting his face in his hands. "Leo being out for this long isn't a good sign." Raph glared at Donnie. _Crap, _Donnie thought, _not the best thing to tell Mikey. _Mikey's big blue eyes started to get misty. "You mean…he could _die_?!" Splinter came up behind Mikey and placed a paw on his shoulder. "No, my son. Leonardo will be fine…Could you make me some tea, Michelangelo?" Mikey looked up at his father, "Yes, Sensei." and ran out of Donnie's lab. A few moments of tense silence passed before Donnie gained enough courage to speak. "Thank you, Sensei." He said as he drew blood from his brother's arm. Leo thrashed a bit, but once Splinter put a paw on his forehead, he calmed down. "You are welcome. Now tell me…what happened?"

_Okay, we are outside now. _

**_What was your first clue?_**

_Shut it._

"Easy, Raph! Don't drop him!" "I'm not gonna drop him, Donnie!"

**_He doesn't want to lose his experiment._**

_For the last time, I'm not an experiment._

**_Just keep telling yourself that, Leonardo. It will just make it even more satisfying when you are proved wrong._**

_I can hear a manhole cover. We are gonna make it home._

**_Sweet, innocent Leonardo…you are so easily fooled. _**

_Like I said before, my brothers are here for me. They got my six._

**_Mhmm. Go on about how they 'got your six' when they shame you like this..._**

****"Oomph. I didn't expect him to be this heavy." "Yeah, our fearless leader is a fat ass."

**_So much disrespect._**

_That's just Raph._

**_Your denial is increasing, Leonardo. Remember, he is the one trying to take your place. He is putting you down to build himself up, making you look less honorable._**

_I have more honor than anyone._

**_I like that confidence…it will become useful for you later. _**

_I think we're in the layer. I can smell jasmine, so Sensei must be meditating._

**_Ah, your beloved Sensei. Always been there for you has he?_**

_Yes. He has._

**_Leonardo, your blatant disregard for the obvious is incredible. You refuse to look beneath the surface. _**

_Alright then, enlighten me. What has my Sensei __**possibly**__ done?_

**_Let's start with how he makes you second guess every plan or idea you come up with. Always there with a reason why you need to do it differently. Always there with a reason why it won't work in you favor. _****_Always_****_ wanting to control your every move. _**

_Sensei checks over my plans and ideas because he doesn't want me and my brother's to get hurt. Every parent does that for their children._

**_He is not even your real father! He is a broken man with a shattered life. _**

_Until he found us. _

"Take him to your lab and start diagnostics."

**_He's even in on the experiments._**

_No, he's not. He is telling Donnie what to do-_

**_Just like he does with you, Leonardo._**

_Ugh…those fumes can only mean one thing. We are in Donnie's lab._

**_And so it begins…_**

_ . !_

**_Feisty…_**

_If only I could roll my eyes at you!_

**_But you can't. You can only fight with words, and doing that with you, Leonardo, is not a challenge._**

_Ok, I'm on a cot now. Good, maybe I can get some sleep and get the shell away from you!_

**_So naïve…don't look now, but Donnie just hooked you up to something._**

_Duh…I can still feel you know. It's just a heart monitor. _

**_To make sure he does not kill you during the experiment._**

_Whatever. I'm going to sleep no-OW! What was that?_

**_You tell me. You can still feel. _**

_Donnie. Donnie, stop! What are you doing?! _

**_You doubted me, Leonardo, and notice where we are! Maybe next time you won't be so reluctant to see the truth._**

_He's…he's just running some tests. OW!_

**_Of course he is you imbecile! The experiment has commenced!_**

_...Sensei?_

"Now tell me…what's going to happen."

**_Sensei_**_?!_

**_Only interested in the results. Typical. Did you really think that he was coming to your aid? He knows how incapable you are as leader. He could care less about your physical state!_**

_No! No, that is not true!_

**_After all of that, you are still refusing to see the truth! The experiment has already begun! You felt the needles, you heard them talking, and you now have confirmation! Accept the truth, Leonardo. It will lead you to security._**

_I…I need to rest…_

**_Alright. Take your rest, Leonardo. _**

_Just leave me alone._

**_Oh, Leonardo. You are so callow. I will always be here, in the back of your mind. You can retreat, but you will never escape. _**

**Sooo? How was it? Like I said in the other A/N, this chapter was kinda difficult to write. Because of the inner convo between Leo and the other voice, I had to make it line up just right so that it reflected what happened but was obviously manipulated…to us at least. MWAHAHA! XD Hopefully, I succeeded. I think I did! J This chapter was tons of fun to write! I ****really**** got to use some of my vocabulary too. You learn those words and school, but you think you'll never use them...I apologize Mrs. Woods…I actually used some. :P As always, thank you for reading and please review! Till next time ;) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 has arrived! I've been doing pretty good about updating every day. Hopefully, I can keep going strong! By the way, in chapter 3 before the other voice says "Fiesty…" Leo was **_**supposed**_** to be saying "Shut the hell up!". I tried fixing it (multiple times), but it just kept coming out ". !"….weird. :/ I'm sure you guys just inserted your own comeback. :) Anyways I know ya'll are just waiting for me to shut up and get this thing rolling. Let's get on with the story! I'm sure you guys will like it… hehehe…**

Madness

Chapter 4: Arise

The fear of the unknown began to wear on the small family. Donnie stayed in his lab refusing to leave his brother's side, Raph spent most of the night punching out his frustrations, and Mikey distracted himself by playing video games and experimenting in the kitchen. Splinter meditated hoping to find his eldest son on the astral plane, but he was nowhere to be found.

When morning finally came, the turtles gathered in Donnie's lab praying that Leo would wake up. Mikey went over to Donnie and shook him awake. He had fallen asleep, holding onto Leo's arm. "Morning Donnie." Mikey's usual morning cheerfulness had been replaced with worry. "Anything?" Donnie rubbed his eyes and looked up at his little brother. "Not that I have noticed. Leo's heart is still beating, and the rest of his vitals are fine. He just hasn't woken up." "Oh…" Mikey sat down beside Donnie and whispered into Leo's ear. "Leo…come on, bro. Snap out of it. We _need_ you." Mikey forced down his tears. "It's not the same around here without you, and it's only been one night." Mikey tried pushing Leo's shoulders. Nothing. He tried it again, but Leo remained motionless. "Come on, fearless!" Raph pushed Mikey out of the way. "You can't just lay there leaving us behind!" Raph started to shake Leo. "Get **up**!" Suddenly, Leo's hands grabbed Raph's forearms, his eyes remained closed. "Finally!" Leo's grip only got tighter. "Uh, Leo? Loosen up will ya?" Tighter. "Leo?"

_**It is my turn, Leonardo. Your incompetence has only cost us.**_

_No! I won't let you!_

_**It is alright, calm down. I am helping. I am freeing us. **_

_Let go of my brother!_

_**Tsk. Tsk. He is supposed to be the stronger one? **_

_Stop!_

_**Ha! His arms are as weak as your demeanor. Just one flick of the wrist and…**_

_No!_

"NOO!" Leo shot up from the cot while throwing Raph across the room. "Leo! You're awake!" Mikey reached out and hugged his brother. "Hey, Mikey. Hey, Donnie." Raph got up and started to rub his forearms. "Leo! What the hell?!" Leo shrugged "You're the one who thought it was a good idea to shake a knocked out person." _**Which is why he should be closely watched, Leonardo. He is after you. **_"Shut up!" Confused, Raph looked at his brother. "Uh, Leo. I haven't said anything yet." "Yeah," Leo started to remove the heart monitor sensors. "I know." "Then why did you-" "because I knew you would!" Leo's sharp tone shocked everyone. "Alright, alright. Calm down." _**He is even starting to give you orders, Leonardo.**_ Leo put his hands over his ears. _Shut up. _"Leo, are you alright?" asked Donnie. "Yeah." Leo quickly took his hands off his ears. "I'm fine…where's Splinter?" _**He does not care about you, remember? **_"I think he is still meditating." Donnie said. Leo started to get up, but Donnie stopped him. "You need to stay here. Moving around too much might make you pass out again." _**Do not do it, Leonardo. He is trying to keep his experiment from escaping. **__No, he is not. _"Okay, Donnie, I'll stay." "I'll go get Splinter!" Mikey yelled as he ran out of the lab. "Raph?" Leo looked to his brother, who was still rubbing his forearms. Hand prints had started to show. "What?" "Sorry for throwing you across the room." _**Why**__** are you apologizing to him? Say, **_"No. I'm not sorry. It's about time I put you in your place." Leo's eyes glazed over. "As for you, Donnie. Stay away from me." "But Leo-" "Shut it. I will not have any more test done on me. Is that clear?" Donnie took a closer look at Leo. _Something's not right… _"Uh, sure. Whatever you say." _**And that's how you assert yourself, Leonardo. They need to know that you are in charge. **_Leo's eyes returned to normal. "Umm, I…I'll be in the dojo." Leo got up and left Donnie's lab, leaving behind two very confused brothers. "What the hell was _that_?" asked Raph. Donnie shook his head "Your guess is as good as mine."

Leo wasted no time in setting up a circle of punching bags.

_I just need to clear my mind. _

_**Good luck with that.**_

_Just ignore him and focus on your training, Leo. _

_**Perfect. Sharpening your skills will be helpful for the downfall of your brothers.**_

_Punch. Step. Kick._

_**Your kick needs to be higher, Leonardo.**_

_Punch. Step. Kick. _

_**This is basic material! You call yourself a ninja? Pathetic.**_

_Basics are the platform for all advanced katas. Perfecting these will help. Punch. Step. Kick. Back. Punch._

_**You are boring me, Leonardo. Try this instead…**_

_Woah. What was that?_

_**I will spare you the details. Just know that it is effective. Do it again.**_

_Huh…alright… _"Like that?"

_**Almost. You need to jump higher on that final strike, like this…got it?**_

"Got it."

_**Good.**_

_At least you're helpful in training._

_**I am helpful in everything, Leonardo. You just have to listen. Now, try this one…**_

Donnie and Raph watched Leo from the entry way. They saw their brother doing his normal routine, perfecting every last detail of his basic skills. "Why does he waist time doing that? It's stupid!" Raph asked Donnie. "He thinks that it will help his more advanced katas. Which isn't a bad idea. It is an effective training technique. Teachers around the-" Raph punched his brother's arm. "Ow! What was that for?" Donnie said as he rubbed his arm. "I was looking for an off switch." Donnie rolled his eyes. "Very original." "Better than the comebacks you come up with, brainiack." Raph said as he continued to watch Leo practice more mind-numbing basics. "Ok. He seems to be acting normal, Donnie. Let him do his thi- Holy shit! What was _that_?" Donnie and Raph stared in awe as they saw their brother crank out move after move making their most advanced kata dull in comparison. "I-I don't know." Donnie was taken back by the sudden development in his brother's skills. _How does he know that? _"Like that?" "Who is he talking to?" asked Raph. Donnie glared back at him. "How am I supposed to know?" "You're the smart one! Figure it out!" Mikey squatted next to his brothers. "Dudes, why are you spying on Leo?" Donnie and Raph looked at each other. "Uhh…" "Mk. I'm gonna talk to him." Mikey walked into the dojo. "Mikey don't!" Mikey approached Leo. His face was dripping with sweat. _Man, he's really been workin… _Mikey thought to himself and joined Leo in the middle of the punching bag circle. "Hey Leo!" Mikey dodged a punch "Dude, watch it! Master Splinter's- woah!" Mikey was amazed by his brother's new skills. "Bangin' moves, dude! How'd you do that?" Leo stopped and faced his youngest brother, breathing heavily. "I just-practiced, Mikey." Mikey's blue eyes widened. "Awesome! Show me!" Leo waved his hand "Sorry Mikey. I don't think you can handle it." "Hey!" Mikey said as he crossed his arms, "Yes I can." "No! You. Can't. Now go away. I need to finish my training." Mikey stormed off pushing past Donnie and Raph.

_Why did you do that?_

_**He was interrupting your training like he always does. Keep working.**_

_Mikey just likes to know what's going on. He wanted to make sure that I'm ok._

_**He was trying to learn our fighting techniques, Leonardo. He wanted to find the weak spots. **_

_Punch. Kick. Step._

_**Enough with the basics! Do as I showed you! **_

_Fine! Show me again._

_**Certainly…now you. **_

"Ha! I got it!"

_**Impeccable…for an uneducated brute! Again!**_

"I'm trying!"

_**Not enough. Again.**_

Donnie and Raph continued to watch Leo, still trying to figure out how their brother had advanced so quickly. "This is so strange…" Donnie started to get up "It's unnatural. He performs those moves perfectly, without even trying!" Raph held Donnie down. "Hold on…" Leo performed yet another seamless move. "Ha! I got it!...I'm trying!" "Who is he _talking_ to?" Raph looked at Donnie "We gotta get him out of the dojo." Donnie said, "He's working too hard. His body can't handle this much stress right now." Raph looked over to Leo, and he shook his head. "He seems fine to me. Look." Raph pointed over to Leo just as he finished breaking a punching bag. "I don't think his body is too weak, Donnie." "We still have to stop him." "Fine. I'll go talk to him." Donnie stood up. "Okay. While you go do that, I'll check on Mikey" Raph nodded and made his way towards Leo. "Hey, fearless. I think that's enough training for today." He said as he started to put the punching bags away. "Huh? Hey! Wait! I'm not done." Leo grabbed the other side of the punching bag. "Yes. You are. Leo, you've been going at it for hours!" "No. I'm not." Leo pulled back at the punching bag. "Really? Leo, let go." The light left from Leo's eyes. Raph looked closer at Leo's face. "Huh?" "No." Leo's tone was dark. "I'm not done, and I'm nottaking orders from you, Raph!" Leo ripped the bag from Raph's grip and put it back in the circle. "Leo," Raph grabbed the back of his brother's shell, "stop." Leo froze. "Let go, Raph**.**" "No, fearless. You're done training." Leo's body became rigid. "Go away, Raph." Leo said as he clenched his fists. Raph held his grip on his brother. "No." A dark smile escaped on Leo's lips, "Fine. Might as well make this fun." Leo turned around kicking his brother in the chest sending him crashing into the weight racks. Leo laughed. "You weren't expecting that. Some ninja you are! We are supposed to be ready for the unexpected and come up with a plan, but you need something to be able to do that." Leo paused rubbing his chin, "What's that called? Oh right, intelligence." Raph got up from underneath the weights. "You're gonna regret that, Leo." "Sure I am." Leo got in a defensive stance, "It's your move, Raph." Raph charged at his brother, grabbing a bo staff that had fallen off the wall. Raph's lack of knowledge of this weapon showed. Leo laughed "What are you going to do with that?" Leo said as he dodged a swing. "This!" Raph began to bring the bo staff down to strike Leo on top of his head. Just before it made contact, Leo put his hands up punching into the staff causing it to split in two. "What the hell?" A sinister smile formed on Leo's face. "My turn." Leo grabbed his brother's forearms and put them behind his back. "Just a flick of the wrist." Leo jerked Raph's arms back sending a sickening crack into the air. "AAHH!" Leo then turned Raph around and punched him in the face making him plummet to the ground. Leo looked down at Raph and kicked him in the stomach. "Now I'm done."

Donnie and Mikey heard Raph's scream and ran into the dojo. "What's going on?!" They saw Raph laying on the ground as Leo was trying to wake him up. "We were sparring, and I guess I was too hard on him. Come here, Donnie, help me carry him to your lab." Donnie grabbed Raph's arm and started to pull him up when he heard a grinding sound. "Wait!" Donnie dropped Raph's arm, "Don't pull on his arms. I think his shoulders are dislocated." "Well how are we going to move him, Donnie?" "We're not. Roll him over on his back, and I'll go get my first aid kit." Donnie ran out of the dojo. Kneeling down next to Raph, Mikey asked "Leo, were you guys sparring…or fighting?" Leo looked up from Raph's face and to Mikey's. "It was both I guess. He was being…well Raph, and we said some things. Then it just kinda exploded. He came at me, and I threw him into the weights over there." Leo pointed over to the iron pile. "I told him to stop, but he ignored me as usual and grabbed a staff. It was kinda funny really. He had no idea what to do with it. He went to strike me on top of my head, but I deflected it which made it split in half." "Woah. But why is Raph out cold?" Leo strained to remember what happened. "After I broke the staff, I pinned Raph with his hands behind his back. That's probably why his shoulders are dislocated. Then, I took him to the ground. I lost my footing so what was supposed to be a somewhat gentle fall turned into a crash to the floor. Raph went face first. He'll probably have a black eye because of it." "Dang..." Just as Leo finished his story, Donnie came sprinting into the dojo. "Move." Donnie shoved his brothers out of the way. "Okay. I need to put his shoulders back in place first. He'll appreciate it that it was done while he was knocked out." Donnie grabbed Raph's arm and pushed it in. _**Pop. **_"Good. No problems." Donnie grabbed Raph's other arm and pushed it in. _**Crack. **_"Uh oh." "Uh oh?" Mikey asked "What do you mean 'uh oh'?" Donnie looked at his brothers. "Raph's collarbone is broken on the left side. You really must have been lost in the moment, Leo." "I guess so…" Leo scratched his head, "I didn't mean to hurt him." "What is wrong, my sons?" Splinter had silently entered the dojo. "Sensei." The three turtles rose and bowed. Leo spoke first. "Raph and I got into a fight, and it got out of hand. I am sorry, Sensei." "Is Raphael alright?" Donnie spoke up. "No, Sensei. His shoulders are dislocated, and his collarbone is broken on the left side. I'll need to set it before he wakes up." "Then do so." "Hai, Sensei." Donnie started to set Raph's injury. _**Crack.**_"AHH!" Raph screamed, causing everyone to cringe. "Sorry, Raph. It had to be done." Donnie said as he placed an ice pack on Raph's shoulders. Splinter kneeled down next to his son. "Raphael?" "Y-yes Sensei?" Splinter placed a paw on Raph's forehead. "Donnie is going to take you to his lab. You'll have to sleep there tonight." "H-hai…Sensei." Raph closed his eyes, trying to hold back tears of pain. Splinter rose. "Michelangelo." "Yes, Sensei?" "Go get the stretcher from Donnie's lab." "Hai, Sensei." Mikey sprinted toward Donnie's lab. "Leonardo?" "Yes, Sensei." "What happened?" "Um..well" _**Run. **_"No." Leo said under his breath. "Excuse me?" "Uh, nothing Sensei. What I was going to say was…" _**Move!**_ Leo sprinted out of the dojo. "That's strange." Splinter said while stroking his beard. Shortly after, Mikey sprinted in with the stretcher. "Here, Donnie." "Great. Help me get him on it." Gently, Mikey and Donnie eased Raph onto the stretcher. "Let's get him to my lab."

Leo sprinted into his room and slammed the door shut.

_What did you do?_

_**Something that needed to be done a long time ago.**_

_You hurt Raph._

_**Of course I did. He was getting in the way. Besides, he is now less of a threat.**_

_He was never a threat._

_**Your denial says otherwise. You know that he has always been a threat. That is why you have been training. You needed to make sure that you stayed on top, not him.**_

_I never needed that. I train to be the best I can be._

_**Nonetheless, Raph still beat you in sparring matches. Guess you are not the best you can be. Leonardo, this was **__**necessary**__**. You saw how he was trying to give you orders. Telling you to stop your training. He was making sure you did not improve. Raphael has always been pulling you down. Doubting your judgment. Doubting your skills. Doubting your honor. He has always held you back, making sure you stayed at the bottom never to truly reach the top. **_

_No that's-that's not true! Raph just enjoys to see me…_

_**Squirm? Doubt yourself? Pushed over the edge? I can go on for days. The key word here is enjoy, Leonardo. He **__**enjoys**__** it. He is just waiting for you to snap under the pressure, so he can swoop in and steal your position.**_

…

_**The truth will set you free, Leonardo.**_

_Enough!_

_**Listen to me! You saw how well we worked together in the dojo. I can help you. I **__**will**__** help you.**_

_You can help me by shutting up!_

_**You cannot fight me forever, Leonardo. Eventually, you will break, and I'll be here to put you back together. However, it will probably be too late for you to be saved.**_

**And chapter 4 comes to a close! Is Leo starting to give in? Only I know! MWAHAHA! XD This has seriously been so much fun! As always, reviews are appreciated! Till next time! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Welcome one and all to chapter 5! :) Thank you all for the support! I really was not expecting so many views and PMs on this story. It means so much to me! *hugs every single one of you* Okay, how about we go and check in on Leo and the gang? I have a feeling that something epic is about to go down… ;)**

Madness

Chapter Five: Breakthrough

Leo walked over to his bed, hoping to get a few hours of sleep. This hasn't been an easy task for him lately, but Leo lied down and closed his eyes anyway. _**Sweet dreams, Leonardo.**_ When his mind finally acquired peace, he discovered chaos in his dreams.

_Leo found himself tied down to a steel table. "What?" He tried to pull his wrists and ankles free, but the tightness increased cutting into his flesh. "Okay, there has to be a way to get out of this. Think." Leo looked around, but found no means of escape. The entire room was a blinding white with nothing useful within his reach. The only other thing in the room was a small metal table a huge black door. Leo strained his eyes to see what was on it. Needles, blades, and shots filled with a black liquid were all laid out in a line. Leo had a good idea what they were going to be used for, and he was not going to stay and find out._ _Leo pulled harder at his restraints. "I have to get out of here." They only became tighter, threatening to crush his bones. "Ah, Leonardo. I see you have awakened." Leo looked up from his bounds. _

Donnie knocked on Leo's door. "Leo?" No answer. Donnie decided to go in and check on his brother. Slowly, he opened the door. "Leo?" Donnie said as he started to walk over to his brother. "Bro?" Leo was curled up in a ball clutching his covers. His face was covered with a thin layer of sweat. Donnie reached down and pushed his brother's shoulder. He didn't move. Donnie pushed harder, but Leo remained in a ball. _He must be having a nightmare. _Donnie thought nothing of it and turned to leave when his brother started to convulse. "Leo!" Donnie acted quickly. He moved Leo's katanas from his reach, moved the bedside table, removed Leo's covers, and looked at the clock. _Ok, it's 11:08. I need to remain calm and wait till the seizure passes… _Donnie sat down on the floor, head in his hands. What felt like an eternity passed, but Donnie finally heard Leo's seizure subside. He looked at the clock. _11:11 Huh…appropriate. _Donnie got up and checked Leo's vitals. _Guess my wish came true, he seems fine. I should probably take him to my lab just in case he does this again. _As Donnie started to lift Leo up, Leo shrugged him off. Donnie sighed with relief and let go of his brother. "Good, you're awake. You just had a seizure, Leo." Leo said nothing, and his eyes remained closed. Donnie moved closer to Leo. "Do you remember anyth-ack!" Leo reached out and grabbed Donnie by the throat. "L-Leo." Donnie gasped for air. "L-Leo!" Desperately, Donnie clawed at his brother's hand only causing Leo's grip to increase. Donnie's vision was starting to fade, but not before he saw his brother's pitch black eyes.

Donnie woke up on the floor. _What happened? Why does my throat…oh yeah. _Donnie's throat felt like it was on fire, but he can worry about that later. He just saw his brother with completely black eyes. That trumps his throat problems. Grabbing the nightstand, Donnie hoisted himself up. _I should check on Leo. _Donnie cautiously approached his brother. He appeared to be sleeping, but as a precaution Donnie used his bo staff to poke Leo's side. "Le-o." Donnie clutched his throat. _Great, I sound like a chain smoker. _Leo didn't move, but Donnie poked him multiple times to make sure. He wasn't about to have a repeat of psycho Leo. When Donnie was positive that Leo was sound asleep, Donnie put him on a rolling desk chair. _I'll take him to my lab and strap him down. He doesn't need to hurt anyone else… Good thing he's a heavy sleeper. Otherwise, this would be really difficult. _Donnie quickly made his way out of Leo's room and to his lab.

Leo woke up and found himself tied down to yet another steel table. _Oh no! _Leo started to panic, desperately pulling at his new straps. "Come on!" _**Stop. Take a deep breath. **_Leo did as he was told. _**Look to your left. **_"Okay." There was another metal table containing needles, blades, and shots filled with black liquid. Leo froze. _Not again. __**Stay calm, Leonardo. You have been prepared for this. Look around and notice where we are. **_"I'm in Donnie's lab…why am I in Donnie's lab?" _**Must I explain **__**everything**__** to you?! I think it is pretty self-explanatory, Leonardo. **_"He isn't. He wouldn't!" _**But here we are, strapped down like an animal. **_"We have to get out of here." _**Of course, allow me. **_Leo's arms ripped through the straps as if they were butter. "Wow." _**Mhmm. I think you can handle the ankles. **_Leo reached down and untied the restraints. Just as he finished, Donnie came into the room carrying a small marker board. _**Looks like he's been taking extensive notes. **_Donnie saw Leo and started writing on his marker board. "Uh…Hey, Donnie." Donnie turned the marker board around. "'Can't talk. Strep throat.'? Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Donnie. You need anything?" _**Leonardo! Why are you helping him? **__He needs to trust me. __**…good call. **_Donnie shook his head. "No? Okay." Donnie shook his head and started to write again. "'Can't talk. _Strangled_ throat'?! Who strangled you Donnie?!" Donnie pointed at Leo. "Me?! Why would I strangle you? You're my brother!" _What did you do? _ Donnie wrote again. "'So is Raph.' I told you guys! That was an accident! We got into a fight and it went too far." Donnie just shook his head and left the room. "Hey! Don't leave me in here!" But it was too late. Donnie had closed the doors and locked them tight. Leo banged on the door. "Let me out!" _**Stop. You are wasting your energy. **_"Alright. How are we going to get out of here then?" _**Simple. Check to see if he has closed the back gate. **_"Right." Leo sprinted to make sure he would get there before Donnie. Sure enough, he did. "Okay. So far so good." Leo made his way to the pit looking for Mikey and Raph, but they were nowhere to be found. "Where is everyone?" _**Does not matter. We need to get out of here. **_"We don't need to leave just yet." _**Right. We need supplies. Go get your katanas and your gear. **_Leo ran to his room, grabbed his weapons, and suited up. "Hey, dudes! Where's Leo?" _**Michelangelo knows we have escaped. We need to make our move, now. **_"Right." Leo poked his head out of his room. _**All clear. **_He started to make his way down the hall. _**Stop. Someone is coming. Hide. **_Leo jumped up into the rafters and hid in the shadows. "Leo! Bro? Where'd ya go?" "Come on, fearless. Quit hiding." _**Raphael is still trying to give you orders. He is one stubborn fellow. **__Tell me about it. __**I think I need to take over from here. **__…why? I have the best stealth out of my brothers. __**Yes, but they are not better than your Sensei's. Look. **_Leo saw his father going to look for him deeper in the sewer. _I still can't trust you. I just want to get out of here without you hurting my family. __**Too bad you do not have a choice. **__No! Stop! _Leo's eyes went black.

Leo jumped down from the pipes and landed in front of Mikey. "Leo!" Mikey paused and pointed at Leo's face. "...uh, dude, what's wrong with your eyes?" Mikey put his hands on his head. "Oh no! Is there another wasp in the layer!?" Leo's body became rigid. "Get out of my way, Mikey." Mikey stood his ground. "No. Leo you need to stay here. Something is wrong with you." Leo let out a dark laugh. "Who says I want it to be fixed?" Mikey slowly approached Leo. "We need you, Leo. Don't go…" "Ha. Need me? I'm sure you will do fine without me." "No, I won't! Leo, you're my older brother. I've looked up to you for so long, and I can't imagine my life without you. Stay here with us…your family." Leo drew his katanas. "Move, Mikey." Mikey got into a defensive stance. "No!" Leo shrugged, "Have it your way." Leo charged at Mikey, but as he started to swing his blades; Mikey did a backflip dodging the strike. "Come on, Leo! It's me, Mikey! Snap out of it!" A sinister smile formed on Leo's face. "Ha. So is Donnie and Raph, and look what I did to them. Who says I-" Donnie snuck up behind Leo and, using his bo staff, struck him across the head. Leo didn't budge. "You shouldn't have done that, Donnie." Leo whipped around and kicked Donnie in the face, sending him to the ground. "Pathetic." Leo shoved Donnie out of the way. "Now, Mikey, where were we?" Mikey swallowed down his nerves and readied himself. Leo was stronger and faster than ever, and Mikey was not sure he would be able to stop him.

Leo sprinted down the sewers.

_**Finally, I thought that I would never get us out of there. Your brothers are relentless.**_

_It's because they love me. They'll understand later that I needed to leave in order to get my thoughts straight. _

_**Michelangelo was the most unyielding. **_

_Did you hurt him?_

_**No.**_

_I don't believe you. _

_**Suit yourself. You can check your katanas. **_

_Fine…_

Leo stopped running and drew his swords.

_Ok, there seems to be no…wait._

Leo looked closer at the tip of his right sword.

_**What is wrong, Leonardo?**_

_You missed a spot._

Mikey's screams filled the Lair. Leo had sliced Mikey's right leg, leaving behind an enormous gash on the outside of his thigh. Donnie was working as hard as he could to stop the bleeding, and Raph sat next to his youngest brother letting him hold his hand. They were all still in shock over Leo's latest performance. They could understand why he fought Raph, that's wasn't too far from the norm. His attack on Donnie was stranger, but he did sneak up on his while he was sleeping. Not to mention he tied him down to a table. Not Donnie's brightest moment. But Mikey? What did he do to deserve this? He was trying to stop Leo from running away from the ones who care about him. He didn't do anything wrong. He was just looking out for his eldest brother, not wanting to lose him. Donnie looked up from Mikey's wound and pointed a bloody finger to his lab. "Kit." Raph nodded and left to go get the first aid kit. He quickly returned, handing it to Donnie. "Pres-sure." Donnie pointed to Mikey's inner thigh, and Raph did as he was told. "You're gonna be ok, Mikey." Raph was trying to stay strong for his little brother. He couldn't stand seeing him in this much pain. "Donnie's gonna fix ya up."

_Why?! What did you do to him?! Did you kill him?!_

_**Simmer down. I wounded him giving us time to escape.**_

_You shouldn't have done that! I don't need to be escaping from them! I need to be escaping from __**you**__!_

Leo grabbed his head with his hands.

_Get out of my head!_

Leo crouched down onto the sewer floor, welcoming the cold touch.

_Get out!_

_**Compose yourself, Leonardo. **_

_Leave!_

_**You dupe! How can I leave? I am a part of you now. We either work together, or we do it my way. There are no other options. Now, stand up.**_

_No._

_**Stand. Up.**_

Leo could hear his father's footsteps in the distance.

_NO!_

_**Okay. It is my way, then. Here we go…**_

_Put me down!_

_**I gave you a choice, Leonardo. You chose, and we are leaving.**_

Leo's body started running down the sewer.

"No!"

Leo reached out and grabbed a pipe on the wall.

"**Let go, Leonardo."**

"I'm not leaving my family!"

"**Yes, we are. Time to let go."**

Leo's hands released from the pipe, and his legs started running again.

"Leonardo?!"

Leo stopped in his tracks.

"Sensei! **Leave me alone"**

"No, my son. Listen to me…let me help you."

"**We do not need your help, Sensei. We are perfectly fine."**

Splinter reached out to his son.

"Leonardo, come home. Donnie will help you."

"**Help me? Ha. He has a funny way of showing it!"**

"Leonardo, please."

"Sensei…"

Leo was at war with himself.

"**Shut up, Leonardo. **No! Sensei, help me! **We do not need your help, Sensei. We are perfectly fine."**

Splinter reached out and grabbed his son's arm.

"Leonardo, you are still in there. I can see it. Fight it. Come back to us."

"I'll try…"

"You can do it, my son."

"I-**I am not your son anymore."**

"Yes you are. Return to me, Leonardo."

"**No. This family is weak, futile, and shattered. You call what we have a family? We are **a family! Sensei, run! Before **I decide to slay you all. Face it, Sensei. My brothers are useless. I do not need this 'family'. It only holds me back. Raph is always questioning my judgment. Donnie is experimenting on me in my sleep. Mikey uses his stupidity to distract me from my goals. The three of them are pathetic and sad excuses for ninjas. Leaving this place will **break them! I don't want to leave! I can't! My brothers **don't need me anymore. They can take care of themselves. **SHUT UP!"

Leo threw his head against the concrete wall.

"SHUT UP!"

Blood trickled down Leo's forehead.

"Leonardo! Stop!"

Leo looked Splinter in the eye and his twisted smile formed on his lips. Leo's eyes had a new life in them. He was completely gone. Slowly, Leo reached up to his fresh wound, wiping the blood off his forehead. Then, as if it were warrior paint, Leo rubbed the blood on his cheeks.

"**I think red is my new color, Sensei."**

Leo's body was no longer in his control. As he was running away from Splinter, he was also leaving everything he once knew behind.

**DUN DUN DUUUUN! XD I hope you enjoyed chapter 5 as much as I did writing it! I don't know if it's normal to enjoy writing such a twisted last scene? O.o Eh, oh well. Normality is over rated. OH, and sorry for the shorter chapter. *hides in embarrassment* Well…I guess it's not too short. My last chapter was over 3,000 words. Quite an accomplishment for me. :) Don't be afraid to tell me what you think! Give me the good and the bad! It is the only way I can push myself as a writer. I need to know if my readers are enjoying what they read! :D Which I guess you did…if you made it to this A/N. Anyways I will be VERY busy tomorrow, so I might not be able to update. *sheds a tear* The key word here is might! There is still a chance that I will! :) …I really use exclamation marks too much… As always, reviews are appreciated! Till next time! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to Chapter 6 of ****Madness****! :D Sorry it took longer to get here. I had to do the girl thing and go shopping yesterday, and it took me FOREVER to get my sister to leave the mall! Ugh, I honestly hate shopping. My wardrobe consists of tank tops, Nike shorts, and t-shirts. :P However, I was able to scrape up some time today and get this thing done! Anyways…this is Chapter 6! Please read and enjoy! :) **

Madness

Chapter 6: Haze

Leo woke up with a splitting headache, and his mind was foggy. "What happened?" Leo started to look around. "Where am I?" As far as he could tell, Leo was in a bedroom. The room seemed like it hadn't been touched in years. The walls were an awful shade of pink and the paint had started to chip off, breaking under the test of time. Leo sat up, making the bed frame squeal under the pressure. He looked at the ruffles on the blanket. "This must have been a little girl's room." The shelves were overloaded with every stuffed animal known to man, a small vanity crowded with numerous bottles of perfume sat beside the window, and the nightstand had one small white lamp accompanied by a delicate music box. "How did I end up in here?" Leo reached up and touched his head. "Ugh…I would kill for a Tylenol." Leo looked down at his other hand and found dried blood. "Gross." Leo walked over to the vanity to inspect his wound. He wiped away the thick layer of dust, revealing his face paint. "What the? That is some twisted shit right there." Leo started to scrape off his artwork. "What, no comeback? I have given you many opportunities to…" Leo waited, but there was no answer. "Fine with me. I finally get to enjoy some peace and quiet." _**There is no such thing. **_"Ah, there you are. Why are we in a little girl's room?" _**After you decided to throw your head against the wall like a mad man- **_"So that's why I have blood stripes on my face. Dude, that's sick... Why did I hit my head against the wall?" _**I assure you that it was done for helpful purposes. Your Sensei was quite shocked. . **_"I would think so…it's surprisingly hard to get off."_** As for your actions, I have no idea; but most of the things you do puzzle me. There is a kitchen. I think I remember seeing some old water bottles. That will help get the blood off. **_"Alright, let's go check it out." __Leo opened the door and stuck his head out. "So, is this place completely abandoned?'" Leo asked as he started walking down a hallway. _**Yes. It's an abandoned store actually. We are in the loft above it. **_"That's lucky." _** Yeah, I know. **_"Do you think there'd be any Tylenol down there?" _**That is another reason why this place was such an astounding find. Aside from perishables, there is quite an assortment of materials that will be useful to us. **_"Good, because my head is killing me." The hallway was adorned with rows of pictures, but one in particular stood out to Leo. In one of the photos, a father and his daughter proudly held a small bluegill while enjoying a sunny day by a lake. The girl was beaming with pride, clutching her Barbie fishing pole. "They seem so happy. I wonder what happened to them." _**I am sure it was what effects everyone's life, change. Come on. **_Leo continued down the hall, and into the living room. It had the same amount of familiar dust, cloaking everything in a dense fog. Leo continued walking stepping over a fallen coffee table. "Okay, something defiantly happened." _**No, notice how there is hardly any dust on it. **_Leo looked at the table, and there wasn't nearly as much dust on it as the other pieces of furniture._** When I was getting us to that room last night, I had to grab the table for support. We almost passed out from the blood loss, but I was able to stop our bleeding and get us to that room. **_"Oh. Well then, uh, thanks." _**No problem…do you remember anything that happened yesterday, Leonardo? **_"Not really. I do remember waking up in Donnie's lab, but past that it's all sorta hazy." _**I'll catch you up later. **_"Alright." Leo said as he grabbed a water bottle. "I wonder if there are any paper towels…"

Raph walked into Donnie's lab. Donnie was doing it again. He was spending every waking moment in his lab, but this time no one minded it. He was trying to find the answer that could save their brother. "Mornin, Donnie." Raph said as he handed him a plate of eggs and toast with his good arm. Donnie looked up from his computer and took the plate. "Morning, Raph." Donnie's voice was thick with exhaustion. He stayed up all night researching and caring for Mikey, who had passed out while he was stitching up his wound. "Is Mikey doin' ok?" asked Raph. "Yeah, he is fine." Donnie never took his eyes off his computer screen. "He just doesn't need to be walking around right now so his stitches don't pop out of place." "Alright." Mikey was lying down on a cot across from Donnie's desk. Raph walked over to his broken little brother. His wound looked way better than it did yesterday, but the pain in his face never faded. Raph placed his hand on Mikey's shoulder, and he woke up at the touch. "Hey there, Mikey." Even after all Mikey had been through, he was still able to give his brother one of his trademark smiles. "Hey, Raphie." Raph hung his head down. He hated that nickname, but he let it slide. "Want some pizza Mikey?" All of the pain in Mikey's face disappeared. "I always want pizza, dude." "Ok, I'll go get ya some." Raph left the lab and returned with a box of pizza. "Here." He put the box on Mikey's good leg. "It's your favorite." Mikey immediately started shoveling a slice of in pizza into his mouth. "Thanks!" Mikey mumbled through a mouthful of pizza. Raph smiled. "No problem, bro." Raph turned and asked Donnie "Have you figured anything out?" Donnie was in the middle of inspecting a vial. "Yeah," Donnie turned his attention to his brothers. "Do you guys remember the explanation I gave for Timothy?" Raph and Mikey's faces went blank. "Didn't it have something to do with those building block thingies?" Mikey asked while scratching his head. Donnie sighed. "Ok. I'll give you the quick version. The mutagen needs three parts to work. The original DNA…" Mikey began to speak, but Donnie raised his hand. "Yes, Mikey, the 'building block thingies'. The DNA from another species, and the DNA from the mutagen. The mutagen uses the other species DNA to tell what the original DNA to be. Got it?" Raph and Mikey nodded. "I was able to take some of Leo's blood from when he was passed out the first time, and I have been running some tests on it. In Timothy's case, he doesn't have the DNA of another species, but Leo was already a mutant so he already had all three. I always thought that since we were already mutants, we would be in the same predicament as Timothy if we ever touched mutagen. Obviously, that's not the case because Leo-" Raph interrupted "Has gone batshit crazy." Donnie sighed. "Yeah. He has. I think it is because of the second strand of mutagen DNA, so technically Leo is missing the second requirement for the mutagen to function." Mikey paused from eating his pizza and looked at Donnie. "So, wouldn't Leo just be himself?" Donnie was shocked at Mikey's question. "Uh, yeah, Mikey. That's exactly what I was going to say." "Huh, looks like there are some brains in there." said Raph as he knocked on Mikey's head. "Hey!" Mikey swatted at Raph's hand. "Guys, stop it!" Mikey and Raph stopped their squabbling. "The extra mutagen DNA still needs to function, so it is borrowing the other two DNA forms that Leo already had. It is, in a way, telling Leo to be himself but not quite. The purpose of the mutagen is to mutate organic material and make it into something new." Donnie looked into the eyes of his brothers. "Leo has a whole other person inside of him. One that is stronger, faster, and smarter. If we don't do something soon, Leo's body and mind will no longer be in his control. We have to go and find Leo." Raph walked over to his brother. "We aren't exactly in fighting shape, Donnie. Unless you have some sort of magic shot, then we will have to wait." Donnie smiled. "Do you remember that hand held machine you stole from the Kraang?" "Yeah. Why?" "It's a 'magic shot'. It speeds up the process of healing physical injuries. It won't heal you immediately, but by tonight the both of you will be perfectly fine. I did it last night to heal my throat. How else do you think I'm talking right now?" Mikey's face lit up. "Awesome! Shoot me up, Donnie!" "Sure thing." Donnie walked over and stuck the shot in Mikey's arm. Donnie started to put it in Raph's arm, but Raph pulled away from him. "Donnie? How do you know that stuff is safe?" "Don't worry. I did plenty of tests on it to make sure." Raph still felt uneasy about it, but he was tired of feeling useless. "Ok. You're the smart one." Donnie laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment.", and he inserted the needle into Raph's arm. "We still need to figure out how to find Leo." said Raph as he rubbed his arm. "He couldn't have gone too far. Sensei said he hit his head against the wall and was bleeding pretty bad." Donnie said as he put away the shot. "We can look around nearby warehouses and abandoned buildings. That right now is our best bet." Mikey got up from his cot and started to walk around. "Wow. This stuff is great! I hardly feel a thing." Raph started to roll his shoulders. "Huh…cool." "It gives immediate relief to pain, but your bodies are not healed yet." Donnie reminded "You guys still need to take it easy for the rest of the day. We will start our search tonight."

Leo walked down the stairs and into the store. It was a small convenience store, but it had quite a bit of inventory. "Alright, let's find this Tylenol." Leo started to look around. It was just as neglected as the rest of the building. Rats had gotten into most of the food, but the cans seemed untouched. Leo grabbed a can of ravioli and started to eat and went into the next aisle. He found some Tylenol and quickly took it. "Ok, now that I got some drugs in my system, tell me what the heck happened." _**We were escaping from Donnie's lab because he was experimenting on us with the black shots like in your dream. **_"I remember that." _**Ok good. We went out into the hall, but had to hide in the rafters because your brothers were looking for us. **_"Makes sense so far." _**Mhmm. Then your Sensei was starting to look for us, so you suggested that I took over. **_"Why would I do that? My stealth is way better than my brothers, and there are plenty of ways to get out of the Layer without running into Sensei." _**You were too worried about the situation and losing your brothers, so you thought that since your mind wasn't fully in the game, I would be better at getting us out of there. Which I did successfully. **_"Did you hurt anyone?" _**No. **_"I still don't believe you, but what's done is done. I still don't understand why I would purposely hit my head." _**Like I told you earlier, I have no idea. **_"Whatever. I'm sure you do. You're a smart…whatever you are." _**I know, but I use my knowledge for more important matters. **_Leo walked back to the aisle of canned goods and grabbed some more food. "Man, I've been so hungry lately." He gathered armfuls of canned pasta and meats. "It's like I have two stomachs or something." _**That's ridiculous. You do not have two stomachs. It's scientifically impossible. **_"Sure feels like it and, with me being a giant mutant turtle, impossible isn't that far of a stretch." Leo said as he scooped more ravioli into his mouth. _**Let's go back into the loft, Leonardo. We need to rest. **_"Good idea." Leo made his way to the top of the stairs and closed the door. As it closed, he could've sworn he heard someone else speak.

Mikey and his brothers were all relaxing in the pit, enjoying some television. Well, he was at least. Donnie and Raph weren't paying any attention to the show. "Dudes, quit worryin. Leo's gonna be ok." Raph looked at his little brother. "As long as he doesn't get around anyone, he will." Donnie joined in on the conversation. "Yeah. The other side of Leo is too unpredictable. Who knows what it is doing to Leo's mind. It could be controlling everything in Leo's body…whether he knows it or not." Donnie grabbed the remote. "We should probably check the news, just in case there is anything about a turtle monster or something that could expose Leo." Donnie flipped the channel to the local news. A young reporter was talking about a recent murder, and how it could be the work of the Purple Dragons. "We haven't been on patrol for one night, and it's already cost two people's lives!" Raph said as he stormed off. Mikey got up "I'll go calm him down." and walked after Raph. Donnie stayed praying that nothing about Leo would come up next. As the story came to a close, a picture of a girl with a Barbie fishing pole and her father holding a bluegill fish filled the screen.

**I know, this chapter was kinda boring...and short. :/ It's one of those filler chapters. *sigh* But it needed to happen. Otherwise nothing past this chapter would make any sense. You know how it is, every good story has had one of these. But I think after what had happened last chapter, y'all might have needed a breather. Lol :P Please review! That would help so much! But, I am learning how to live without them… :( Anyways, thank you for reading! Till next time! ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**BOOYACASHAAA! Chapter 7 comin' at cha! :D This chapter was a challenge. Not writing wise…but typing wise. It was the definition of struggle. I ran out of contacts today and had to type this blind (puppy ate my glasses :S ) ...or at least while being seriously vision impaired. O.o But I did it! I did it for you guys! :P I'm sure it was a funny site to see. I was squinting so hard and my face was so close to the screen and keyboard. XD Now that is dedication. Lol Anyways, it's story time. So grab a carpet square and find a spot in the reading corner because here we go! :)**

Madness

Chapter 7: Clarity

Leo laid back down in the soft frilly bed. It seemed as though his only escape from his visitor was in his dreams, and he was going to take full advantage of it. _**Sleep well, Leonardo. You will need all of your strength. **_"Sure." Leo rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say."

_Leo was lying in the soft grass. The long blades brushed against his skin as he stretched his arms out letting the cool dew coat his arms. In the distance, he heard a little girl laughing and squealing with excitement. He sat up and saw that he was beside a beautiful lake. The sunlight bounced off the waves in every direction, making the darkest shadows vanish. He turned his head and saw a small family. A father and daughter enjoying the first catch of the day. The little girl refused to touch the small bluegill. Every time her father brought it closer, she squealed and giggled. "Daddy, don't! It's so slimy!" The father crouched down next to the little blond headed girl, "Tell you what…if you help me hold this fish, I will get you ice cream later." The girls face lit up with joy. "Really, daddy? We can get ice cream?" The father's laughter filled the air. "You bet, squirt, but only if you touch the fish." He slowly brought the fish closer to the child, and her confidence grew. She reached out and placed her small hand on the fish's tail fin. "Hurry, Auntie! Take the picture!" The two smiled and posed with their catch. Once the picture was taken, the little girl released the fish. "Put it back, daddy, before the fishy dies!" The father did an exaggerated run to the water and released the fish. "There, Alice, the fishy is safe." He said as he assumed a superhero pose. "Now, are you safe from the tickle monster?" The girl shrieked and ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Leo laughed. The happiness between them reminded him of when he was younger, enjoying those moments with Splinter. _

_Suddenly, the lake started to fade away. The soft grass turned into harsh asphalt, and the sun made way for the moon. Trees turned into sky scrapers, and the far off mountains morphed into New York City's skyline. Leo was now lying against a trash bin in a dark ally. He heard the little girl's shrieks again, but instead of running away from the tickle monster; she was trying to escape from a real one. He saw them enter his ally. Leo looked around to see if they would be able to escape, but there was a fence blocking their way to safety. They were trapped. "Stop. I'll give you anything you want. Please, just don't hurt my daughter." Leo peered around the trash bin and saw the small family being cornered by a dark figure in a cloak. It remained silent and pulled out a blade. What Leo saw next would be burned into his memory forever. Leo saw the figure slash at the innocent family. Their cries filled the night's sky as they slumped to the ground, never to find joy again. The attacker took the man's wallet and left them to rot. Leo was not about to let this go unanswered. He got up and ran after the cloaked stranger. He was faster than he looked, but Leo strained every muscle in his body to catch the man who was malicious enough to murder an innocent little girl and her father. Leo got closer and closer. He was finally within an arm's reach of him. Leo reached out and grabbed the killer from behind, tackling him to the ground. "Hault, villain. You will pay for this injustice." Leo flipped the figure around, but its face was dark. Leo leaned in closer until he was inches away from evil itself. The darkness lifted, revealing a green face_ _drenched in blood with black eyes…shielded by blue mask. _

Leo jerked awake from his nightmare, clenching the ruffles of the blanket. "What the hell was that…?" Leo looked down at the blanket, but it wasn't as dirty as he remembered. He looked around the room, and it was as if he went back in time. The room started to change. Dust lifted from the room, and chips of paint flew back onto the wall. Rotten stuffed animals found their luster again as the stains of time disappeared from the room. He was in a completely clean and normal children's room. "What's going on?" Leo started to wonder if his nightmare was just only a dream…or a memory. _**Of course it was just a nightmare you idiot! Killing someone would put us at risk. The police would be after us. There are many abandoned buildings and warehouses in New York. Out of all the places to take us, why on earth would I take us here? The home of the two victims. **_"I never said or thought about how many victims there were." _**Uh… **_"I know for a fact that you can control me when I am awake, and now I know you can't when I sleep. You have been controlling my thoughts, moods, feelings, everything! Now that I know what really happened, I am starting to see the truth." Leo sprung out of the little girl's bed. "How dare you make me sleep where the people you-" _**We, Leonardo, we killed them. Just like we injured your brothers. You are correct about the fact that I can control you when you are awake, but I can only do it by using ideas, thoughts, and desires you have had at any given time. It may have been for a split second and you did not even realized it, but it was there. In the back of your mind, it rested and festered until I came along. I was able to unleash and manipulate your entire being, Leonardo. You think that this is all me? You are wrong. It is all you. **_"No! You are wrong. Sensei taught me about honor and dignity. I would never-" _**No. You never did, but you **__**thought**__** it. There's the difference, Leonardo. Everyone has thoughts that they regret and push into the back of their mind. Its human nature, and you are part human. It is inevitable, Leonardo. **_"I wish I could-" _**Get rid of me, kill me, shun me, or cut me out of your head? **_"I was gonna say get you to shut it." _**Yes, but you thought those things, Leonardo. You come up with many ideas before you speak whether you realize them or not. Now, these are at my disposal to use against you…especially the cut you head one.**_

Before Leo could answer, he heard someone breakdown the entryway to the stairs. Leo got closer to the bedroom door so he could get a clearer sound. An older lady was speaking. "This was their house, Agent Yanel. Maybe you can find something that would tie them to the Purple Dragons here." Then a man started speaking. "Thank you, Mrs. Claude." Leo backed away from the door. "We gotta get out of here." _**Yeah. Go- **_"I know how to do this so zip it." Leo walked over to the window and opened it. There was only one cop car outside, and Leo noticed that there was a fire escape one window over. He climbed onto the windowsill and jumped, landing on the fire escape. "I'm gonna go back to the Lair." _**No. You can't. Remember everything that has happened. Do you really think that they will forgive you? That is a slim to none chance. **_"If they truly love me, they will." _**You said 'if'. Your doubt is just as strong as it has always been. **_"I'm still going to the Lair." Leo began to jump, but his body didn't follow. "Let. Me. Go." **"No." **"I am not letting you do this again." **"Yes, you will. I am still stronger than you, Leonardo. I am also smarter. So shall we head back to the Lair then? I am more than happy to oblige."**

"Let's _go_." Raph grabbed the back of Mikey and Donnie's shells, dragged them out of the lab, and dropped them at the bottom of the steps. "Hey! We weren't done." Donnie protested. They had been working on a metal cage. "I don't like the looks of it." Raph said. "He's not gonna go in there." Donnie got up rubbing the back of his shell. "We have to, Raph. I don't like it as much as you do, but it's the only way to keep Leo safe from us and himself when he gets back." "Dudes." Donnie and Raph looked at Mikey. "What is it?" Mikey looked torn. He had no idea what to say. "What if Leo had…" Mikey put his head in his hands. "What if he…" Raph walked over and sat down next to Mikey while putting a hand on his shoulder. "He didn't kill those people, Mikey. He's stronger than whatever is trying to pull his mind apart. He would never do that." Mikey put a hand on his leg. "Leo would've never hurt us, Raph, but he did." Donnie came over and put his arms around his brothers. "Leo's still in there you guys. We can't give up on him just because he beat us up a little." "I never said I've given up on him!" Mikey yelled. His body grew tense, and he clenched his fists. Donnie and Raph were shocked. Mikey never got angry…ever. "I will never give up on him. I would never stop. I would die tryin'." Raph put his hands on Mikey's shoulders and turned them so he could look Mikey in the eye. "Mikey…I know that you would do anything for us, but _promise_ me that if it comes between letting Leo go and gettin yourself killed; you let Leo go. I can't lose two of my brothers." Mikey's face softened. "Ok, Raphie. I promise." Mikey said as he gave Raph a hug. "Ugh…will you quit callin' me that?" But Raph gave in and returned the hug. "Ok. Now that the sappy stuff is done," Raph said, "we need to go and look for Leo." "Uh, I don't think we need to…" Donnie said. Leo was standing in the entryway.

"Leo!" Mikey ran over to Leo and gave him the tightest hug he could. _Please, don't crush him. _Raph thought to himself. "You're back." Leo smiled and held his little brother. "Yes, Mikey. I am back." He pulled Mikey away from him and smiled even bigger. "For good." Mikey's goofy grin grew. "Awesome! Dude, are you hungry? We got pizza!" Leo's stomach growled. "Yeah, Mikey. That would be great." Mikey ran off to the kitchen, and Leo made his way over to Raph and Donnie. "Hey guys!" Donnie and Raph felt uneasy about Leo's sudden cure. Donnie was the first to speak. "Uh, hey Leo." He glanced over to Raph and then to the lab. Raph understood. "Sup, Leo. Could you help me and Donnie move some equipment? It's a pretty big…thing. I have no idea what it is. That's the nerd's job." Leo laughed. "It's nice to know that your personality is still intact considering everything that has happened." _He sounds so weird. _Raph thought to himself. "I would love to help you dudes out." _Okay...like that sounded normal. _The three of them headed over to the lab, and Leo went in first. Donnie and Raph had no idea how they were going to get Leo in the cage. They just had to wing it. "What are we moving?" asked Leo. "My…" Donnie scanned the room. He decided on the table with the centrifuge, freezer, and incubator. It lined up perfectly with the entry of the cage. Raph could push Leo inside while he was moving the table. "table over there. We have to be careful with it. That equipment is very delicate." Leo nodded. "Sure thing, bro." Donnie nodded from Leo to the cage, and Raph got the message. Once Leo was in line with the opening of the cage, Raph kicked him inside. Leo crashed inside hitting his head one of the bars with a loud thud, and Raph quickly locked the cage's gate. Leo sat on the floor looking confused. "Ugh…" Leo said rubbing his head. "Why did you do that?" "Sorry, Leo, we just can't trust you yet." Said Donnie. "It's for your own good, bro." said Raph. Leo stood up. "No. Let me out. I'm better now. Let me out." Leo got closer to the gate, his tone getting darker. "Let me out." Leo grabbed the gate's bars. "Let me out." This time it came as more of a growl. "Let me out." His grip increased on the bars, making Donnie and Raph back up. "L-ge-muh-t" Leo's body was tense and guarded, but his eyes were pleading. "L-ge-muh-t." Donnie got closer. "What are you trying to say Leo?" Leo grew silent. His mouth was trying not to open, but the fight was still in his eyes. Leo took a deep breath through his nose and screamed "GET ME OUT!" The yell was so loud it rung out in the lab. **"Leonardo, enough." **"No. I will never stop fighting!" **"Look at them! They are scared of you. Take advantage of it you pansy." **"Never!" Leo threw himself to the ground and held his head. "No! I won't." Donnie and Raph watched in awe as they watched their leader fight himself. They were scared, but not enough to leave. "Leo," said Raph as he slowly approached the cage. "You can do this. Fight him, fearless." Leo curled up in a ball, in sheer agony. "Ahh!" Leo's screams continued. "Stop!" Leo yelled "Stop it!" Blood started to trickle out of his nose. **"Had enough?" **"Quit it!" It was Donnie who yelled this time. He ran over to the gate and grabbed the bars. "Stop hurting, Leo!" Then, Donnie finally got it. "You planned this. You wanted to be locked in the cage." Leo stood up with a twisted grin on his face. **"What are you going to do about it, Donatello? I am in here." **Leo's hand tapped his skull. **"There is really nothing you can do. You are imprudent, weak, and unwary. Those are the reasons why Leonardo is like this. It is your fault." **The smile faded, replaced by face filled with anguish. Leo screamed again and started to walk over to Donnie. He put his hands on top of Donnie's and looked straight into his eyes. Leo screamed again, and the twisted smile returned. **"Your fault." **

***BOOM!* Chapter 7 closes with a dramatic end! How else can you end a chapter? XD I really hope you guys enjoyed it. Every frickin' twisted second of it! :D I know I did. Writer's Block was nonexistent this chapter. Writer's Block? What's Writer's Block? Ha! I laugh in the face of Writer's Block! What's sleep? Ha! I laugh in the face of sleep! What's laughing in faces? Ha! I laugh in the face of laughing in faces! XD Now that my rambling is done….thank you for reading! As always, reviews are appreciated. Till next time! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay…so maybe laughing in Writer's Block's face wasn't such a good idea. It hit me hard with this chapter. It was one of those times when you know where to go just not how to get there. :/ But I got there…eventually. If Imagine Dragons and OneRepublic didn't exist, I would be in so much trouble. XD Thank the heavens that they do, so welcome to Chapter 8! I can't believe that I've written 8 chapters. :O Oh, another thing I can't believe is that I turned 19 yesterday. O.o That's another reason why this chapter is a little late. I spent the day stuffing my face with strawberry shortcake and spending time with friends and family. It was an awesome birthday! :D …I don't feel 19. I'm defiantly still a kid, on the inside at least… :P Now that I have given you my excuses, let's go and check in on our favorite turtles. :)**

Madness

_Chapter 8: Contained_

Donnie laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling. His brother's screams and words echoed in his mind. "It is your fault…Your fault." Donnie thought back to the day of the accident wishing he could take it all back. _It is my fault. If I had just listened to Leo, none of this would've happened. Because of my selfishness, it has cost me one of my brothers. _ Donnie squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the tears back. He couldn't believe that it was only four days ago. It has felt like a century. Donnie could still see his brother falling into the mutagen, changing life as he knew it. Donnie opened his eyes and searched for a distraction from this growing weight of guilt. He went over to his shelf and grabbed one of his favorite books. A biography about Albert Einstein. Donnie sat back down on his bed and started to read, absorbing every word. He had always been amazed at not only Einstein's genius, but by his astounding wisdom as well. Donnie was reading the same page he had seen a thousand times before, but this time a single quote stood out to him the most.

"_The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil but because of the people who don't do anything about it." _

Donnie threw his book down on the floor and got out of his bed. A new fire was ignited within him. _It's time to do something. _Donnie grabbed his staff and headed over to his lab.

Donnie slowly opened the door to his lab and heard Leo's snores. _Good. He's asleep. _Donnie went to his desk and started to work in the darkness. About twenty minutes passed when Donnie heard a door open. He immediately hid in the shadows waiting to strike on Leo, but it wasn't him. It was Mikey. _What is he __**doing**__?_ Donnie watched as Mikey approached the cage. "Mikey, don't." whispered Donnie, but Mikey was too focused on Leo. He didn't hear him. "Leo…," Mikey whispered, "Leo? You up, bro?" Leo shifted, but didn't answer. "Dude!" Leo shot up, flailing his arms. "Who?! What?! Huh?!...oh." Leo relaxed and let out an embarrassed laugh. "Hey, Mikey. What's up?" Mikey sat down in front of the cage's gate. "I was just wonderin'…did you mean what you said? To Donnie?" Leo scooted over and sat in front of his little brother. "No, Mikey, of course I didn't. I would never say that to him. This was not…well it is sort of. The idiot didn't listen to me. Some genius." Leo shrugged his shoulders. "He should've just listened to his leader." Mikey was getting confused. "You just said you didn't mean it, but then you said that it was his fault. You're soundin' like Splinter, dude." Mikey prepared his best Splinter imitation. "Yes…and no." Leo laughed. "That was pretty good, Mikey." Leo joined in. "The first rule of being a ninja is 'do no harm.' Unless you need to do harm, then do lots of harm!" Mikey's face lit up, and his goofy grin returned. _That's not like Leo. He would never make fun of Splinter. _Donnie thought to himself. Mikey started to shift around in his spot, he looked nervous. "Hey, Leo?" Leo smiled. "Yeah, Mikey?" Mikey's eyes dropped to the floor. "Why did you leave us?" Leo looked hurt by the question and started to reach out for his little brother but pulled back. "I left because I needed…to get away." Mikey raised his gaze from the floor and to his big brother. "Away from what?" Leo's face hardened. "You." "But what did I do?" "You're a distraction, Mikey. You were always interrupting my training. Interrupting me when I gave orders. Interrupting me when I was trying to focus. When I was trying to focus on the Kraang, your interruption led me to the upper level of TCRI. It's because of you I was on that platform. It was because of you I had to jump, only to land into mutagen." Mikey scooted closer to the iron bars. The only thing that separated him from his brother. "But Leo, I told you that 'cause we needed to stop them. I didn't do it to get you mutated." Mikey reached through the bars and placed his hand on Leo's knee. "You're my bro." Leo placed his hand on Mikey's. "I know I'm just…tired of you." Leo's grip started to increase. "Leo, dude, let go." His grasp only intensified. Mikey took the pain and looked into Leo's eyes. "Leo…let me go." He said calmly. Leo's face contained no remorse, but Mikey saw something in Leo. There was a fight in him, and he believed that Leo wasn't going to lose this time. Leo's hand grew tighter, causing Mikey's bones to grind. He didn't pull away, but the tears of pain were beginning to flow. "L-Leo?" Mikey's blue eyes pleaded, but nothing changed. Leo pulled Mikey's arm, causing his face to crash against the bars. A familiar sinister smile formed on Leo's lips. "I will never give up, Mikey." Mikey spoke through the pain. "That makes two of us." Leo squeezed his hand once more, emitting a nauseating crack into the silent Lair. "Mikey!" Donnie ran over and pulled his brother out of Leo's grip, and the tears began to flow out of Mikey. Donnie looked down at Mikey's hand. It was shattered. He ran over to his desk and got the shot out from the drawer and put stuck it in Mikey's arm. "I'll be right back, Mikey." Donnie placed him on the floor and then walked over to Leo who was now standing, holding onto the bars. "Hey, traitor." Leo smirked. "Help anyone else lately?" However, tears were rolling down Leo's cheeks, staining his mask. "Leo." Donnie ignored Leo's face and focused on his eyes. "Fight." Leo laughed. "How can I fight, Donnie?" He continued to ignore Leo's words, because they were not truly his. "You've always been there for us, no matter what." "To bad he can't protect himself." Donnie's expression hardened. "You, shut up. Leo, _fight_. I will do everything I can to fix this. I will figure it out." Leo reached out his hand and placed it on Donnie's shoulder. His grip started to get tighter, but it relaxed. Leo's mouth said "You can't, Donatello.", but Donnie didn't listen to the puppeteer's performance. He focused on the passion in Leo. The fire and will his brother was gifted with that made him the person his is. The drive to succeed. "Come on, Leo! Fight." Leo rested his other hand on Donnie's remaining shoulder and this time, it stayed relaxed. Then a small whisper gave Donnie the hope he desperately needed. The one thing Donnie needed to hear, and his brother managed to say it.

"I will."

The next morning, Donnie, Raph, Mikey, and Splinter were all gathered in the dojo. They were all standing in the middle of the room getting ready for morning training. When Splinter was about to give instructions, Donnie interrupted. "I think I have found something, Sensei. Something that could help Leo." Mikey's eyes lit up. "Really?" "Yeah. When Raph and I were at Kraang headquarters before you and Leo showed up, Raph had grabbed that shot and a good handful of flash drives. I was able to hack into them, and it revealed the plan they had for that pod in the middle of the room. It was an experiment testing the stability of the mutagen. To track their progress so to speak. One of the containers had mutagen-" Raph rolled his eyes. "We already know that, genius." Donnie glared at his brother. "I know that. You never let me finish, Raph!" Donnie took a breath and continued. "The other one had different form of mutagen that was going to act like a reset button." Mikey jumped up and threw his hands in the air. "It's tryagainagen! No, no! It's undoagen! Because, ya know, before your mutated and then after-" Raph reached out and put his hand over Mikey's mouth. "We get it!" Donnie rolled his eyes and continued. "So the uh…undoagen would reset whatever they had mutated in that pod if it didn't meet the desired result." Splinter came up behind Donnie and put a paw on his son's shoulder. "What are you saying, Donatello?" Donnie turned around and faced his father. "What I am saying, Sensei, is that if we went back to Kraang headquarters, we could get some of the undoagen and use it on Leo." Splinter shook his head. "Donatello, we are not sure if this undoagen will help Leonardo, or only cause more harm." Donnie nodded his head. "I know, Sensei. I would have to get my hands on it and run tests to be sure, but by knowing what's on the flash drives themselves, I know for a fact that it will be risky" "How risky, Donnie?" asked Raph. "Well, it is _undo_agen. If I use too much," Donnie looked at the floor, "it could revert Leo completely." Mikey interrupted "You mean that Leo would look like Spike? That's terrible!" "Hey!" Raph pushed Mikey's shoulder. "Don't make fun of Spike." "You don't need to be pushing me, Raph. I'm _injured_." Mikey pointed to his hand while wearing a smug grin on his face. His hand was now perfectly fine. "You're just gonna ride that till it breaks, huh?" Mikey nodded and his grin widened. "Yep." Donnie sighed and put his face in his hand. "Guys, really? This is serious." Raph shrugged. "So is Mikey's stupidity." Donnie gave up and faced Master Splinter. "If I did use just enough, Leo would be cured." "Are you sure that there are no other options, Donnie?" said Raph "Last time we went into TCRI, we almost got killed." "I'm sure." Donnie said "I've tried using everything I have at my disposal. I even went to the military junk yard, but nothing I found helped. Trust me guys, I wouldn't have told you this if it wasn't a last resort. The only other thing we can do is wait and hope that Leo can push away whatever it is that's eating at him, and I am not sure how much more Leo can take." Splinter spoke up. "Kneel, my sons." The three turtles took their places and focused on their master. "We do not know how much time Leonardo has left, so we need to act quickly. Donatello, go through with your plan. You will leave tonight. However, you all must be silent and knowledgeable of your surroundings. You must not be detected. Understand?" All three turtles stood up and bowed. "Hai, Sensei."

Leo sat in his cage, curled up in a ball, forcing himself to stay silent. The darkness of the room enveloped him, making it easier to ignore the crushing pain. Donnie left the lights on for him during the day; but when night came, he turned them off hoping that his brother could find a few hours of sleep. Usually, they never came. If he was lucky, he would get a few minutes to close his eyes; but he was always awakened by his visitor. When a few hours of sleep were blessed, it was filled of visions of him killing Alice and her father. Leo would never forgive himself. His brothers have tried to convince him that it wasn't, but the blood was on Leo's hands and he would never be able to wash them clean. "It is your fault, Leonardo." Leo shot up and looked around the lab. "Who's there?" He saw a pair of eyes lurking in the shadows. "Who are you?" The eyes revealed themselves, and Master Splinter stepped out from the shadows. "Oh, Sensei. I thought you were someone else." Splinter's face was stern, no love was to be found. "It is your fault, Leonardo. You attacked the innocent. Your honor as a ninja is tainted. Your place in this family is no more." Splinter got closer to Leo's cage. "Your place in my heart is no more." Leo stood up and faced Splinter. "But Sensei, what do you mean? I am your son!" Leo was confused. "You can't just give up on me." Splinter shook his head. "How can I have a son who kills out of selfishness?" Leo reached through the bars out to his father, but he backed away. "Master Splinter! Please! I'll get better. I promise." Splinter placed his staff in front of him creating yet another barrier between himself and his son. "No, Leonardo. I cannot hold on to false hope." Leo gripped the bars as tight as he could and focused his gaze on Splinter's eyes. "Sensei, I can't lose you. You've taught me everything I know. You're the one who has filled my life with love and hope. You're the one who has always put faith in me, always believing that I can do the impossible. You have believed in me through everything else. Why can't you do that now?" Splinter walked over to Leo, still remaining cold and distant. "I cannot because your strength is running out. You cannot control yourself. You have committed something that can never be undone, and you will never be able to fix that. I am sorry, Leonardo." Leo's eyes and throat began to burn. "Sensei! Don't give up one me. You can't go!" Splinter looked away from Leo and made his way to the door. "Please, don't leave me." Splinter continued to head towards the door. "Stop, father!" Splinter froze in his tracks. "I can't do this without you." Leo begged. "I need you." Tears started to run down his cheeks, he shouldn't have to persuade for his father's love. "I love you, father!" Leo hung his head down, resting it between the bars. "Please, I still have a chance! I am fighting. I am trying to come back. I will come back to you!" Leo looked up. His eyes were red from the tears. "I will be the best son I can. For you." Splinter looked over his shoulder. "You are no longer my son." With that Splinter left the room shutting Leo out from his life. Leo slid down the cage's cold bars. He placed his head in his hands and for every moment he remained strong, he let himself break. All of the emotions Leo had contained in order to remain intact, were released. They flooded out of him, and Leo cried like he had never done before, making his entire body shake. This had pierced him straight down into his soul. This pain had no measure, and it was wrenching him from the inside out, leaving nothing behind. Leonardo had shattered.

_**I told you. He never cared. He never will.**_

_I understand._

_**I am sorry, Leonardo, that it had to come to this.**_

_At least I know now. I can only trust myself._

_**Life is easier without attachments.**_

_Yes. It will be._

In the other room, Splinter was drinking tea hoping that his other three sons would return carrying with them the cure that would bring Leonardo back to him.

**And Chapter 8 comes to a close! Y'all…I made **_**myself **_**tear up over this. :'( Leo has always been so close to Splinter...just ugh! DX Ok…enough with the feels. Thank you all for reading and giving my story over 700 views! :O This was totally unexpected. It's probably not that much for other people, but to me it totally is. For this being my first fanfic and full blown story it's just…wow. Thank you! :D I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Till next time! ;) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome one and all to chapter 9! I promise I haven't forgotten about this fanfic. I wish that I could say I haven't updated for so long because I was being a perfectionist, but I can't because that would be lying… :/ I have been at a volleyball camp all week. We didn't get done till nine o'clock the first night and we started at eleven thirty. O.o We got done earlier today since it was the last day, but we still played for six hours. Needless to say, I am **_**exhausted**_**. *faints* It was worth it though. :D I'll shut up now so we can get this show on the road. Please read and enjoy! :)**

Madness

Chapter 9: Light

Donnie clutched onto the small container of undoagen. The importance of this ooze was life or death, and he was its soul keeper. The only chance they had for getting Leo back, and it was resting in a fragile glass cylinder. He held it closer to his side. This small amount was all they were able to get, so he couldn't make any mistakes, now or later. Just one mistake could make them lose their brother forever, banishing all hope from their minds.

Donnie's focus was cut when he heard his brothers shouting as they jumped to the next rooftop. "I can't believe we did it!" Mikey said as he landed next to his brother. "Yeah!" Raph yelled as he vaulted over an AC unit. "We really beat some bots!" Mikey smiled and joined in. "Destroyed some droids!" They waited for Donnie's answer, but he didn't say a word. Mikey looked over at Donnie. "Dude, it's your turn." Raph nodded. "That's how it works, Dumbatello." Donnie remained silent and made his way down the fire escape. Once they were all at the bottom, Raph started to remove the manhole cover. "Couldn't come up with anything, genius?" Donnie shook his head and looked at Raph. "I'm not in the mood, Raph." Donnie's voice was thick with nerves, and it was written all over his face. "I'm kinda under a lot of pressure here." He squeezed the undoagen container closer to his chest. "Relax, bro." Mikey put his hand on Donnie's arm. "You'll get it done." Donnie looked down to the sewer, wishing that his burdens weren't so heavy. He forced himself to smile. "Thanks, Mikey." Donnie allowed himself to give Mikey and Raph some reassurance, but he couldn't lie to himself like that. He knew that he only had a limited amount of chances and no idea where to start. He had to trust his gut and rely on instinct, and he wasn't used to that. He knew how to manage time restraints, limited chances, and recalculations. He just didn't know how he could do that with a brother whose time was running short and not knowing how this cure would affect him, mentally and physically. It could either slowly heal him or drive him further into insanity. Donnie jumped down into the manhole and started running to his lab without waiting for his brothers. He sprinted up the steps, slammed the doors behind him, and immediately started to blindly work.

Donnie heard Leo stir in his cage. "Donnie?" He swiveled in his desk chair to face his brother and felt a sharp pang in his heart. Leo looked so broken. His eyes were blood shot, and his face was pale. Every move he made looked like a marathon. His legs shook and nearly buckled under the strain as he stood up. _His visitor must have put him through something awful last night_. Donnie could only imagine, but he usually chose not to. He couldn't stand seeing his brother this way, and knowing how he got there would only make it worse. "Hey, Leo." Donnie rolled over to his brother and sat in front of him. "We got the undoagen. I'm gonna be able cure you, but it will just take me some time. I need you to hold on, okay?" Leo shook his head. "How can I trust you, Donnie? You've experimented on me in my sleep." Donnie was used to this by now. He knew that whatever was inside Leo could control what he said, but this time he didn't sound different. He sounded like Leo. "How do I know that you're not just using me?" Donnie stood up and faced his brother. "Leo, I have never experimented on you. The only thing I have done is taken your blood and run tests on it so I can figure out what the heck is wrong with you." Leo rested his head on the bars and looked at the ground. "You tied me to a table. I woke up there, and you're telling me that you didn't do _anything_?" Donnie sighed. "I did that so you wouldn't hurt yourself or us. I didn't want you running off and strangling or who knows what on innocent people." Donnie put his hands over his mouth. He shouldn't have said that. Leo told them the day before about what he did, and it wasn't easy for any of them. Splinter was the most shocked, but he remained composed on the outside. Everyone knew how he felt though. Once you've been around Splinter, you pick up on his subtle expressions. He had to leave the room because of it. This no doubt hurt Leo, but Donnie thought that he got over it because Splinter came back soon after and talked to him. Leo seemed fine afterwards, but obviously not because of the look he was giving Donnie now. He didn't think Leo could look more defeated, but he was wrong. "I-I'm sorry." Leo looked up from the floor. He was trying so hard to hide it, but Donnie could see the small tear marks on the bottom of the eye cut outs on Leo's mask. "Don't be. I deserve this," He motioned around his cage and then pointed at his temple. "and this." Donnie shook his head. "No. You do not deserve this, Leo. It wasn't you that killed them. It was-" "But it was me!" Leo's yell resonated in the lab. "It's all me, Donnie! It uses my thoughts, feelings, and desires against me. Whether I was aware of them or not! I have thought about killing people. I have thought about hurting you, Mikey, and Raph. It has always been me!" Leo slumped to the ground, head in his hands. "If only I…" Donnie cautiously reached out and put his hand on Leo's shoulder. "Leo, you cannot change the past. There is no 'if only'. There is only what's happened, and what's going to happen." Leo shook his head. "What's going to happen could be worse than what's happened." Donnie put both of his hands on his brother's shoulders and forced Leo to look him in the eye. "Do not fear tomorrow, Leo. There, you will be successful, whole, and well. There, you will be at peace." Donnie increased his grip on Leo's shoulders. "You need to look past all of the doubt, fear, and pain of today so that you can conquer tomorrow." Donnie could still see the dread in his brother's eyes. On the outside, Donnie remained strong for his brother; but on the inside, he was screaming. Leo cannot be giving up like this. He was the one who always told him to keep going and pushed him to his limits. Seeing Leo like this was not natural. It went against everything Leo stood for. He was always the rock solid one with a level head. Always with the right thing to say and a plan, but now that Leo was nowhere to be found. Donnie needed Leo's words now, but he couldn't get them. This time, he was the one who needed to give them. Donnie took a deep breath and tried to remain steady. "You do not need to be looking back at the bitter past, Leo, but forward to a brighter future." Leo jerked out of Donnie's grasp and turned around. "The brightest lights cast the darkest shadows, Donnie."

Raph and Mikey sat in the pit waiting for any news from Donnie. Hours had gone by, and a new day had begun. No one could sleep. Splinter was overjoyed that his sons had returned unharmed and with the undoagen. Leonardo could be coming home to him. He wanted to go into Donnie's lab and see how much progress he had made, but he knew that it was best to leave Donnie alone while he worked. He remained in his room and meditated hoping that his sons would be able find the light to pull them through these dark times.

Mikey grabbed the remote to the TV and started to channel surf. He paused when a familiar captain filled the television screen. "Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan! There's no time for hesitation. My orders must be carried out, without question!" Mikey's shoulders dropped. He could still see Leo reciting that line to them the first time they went topside. While Mikey was saddened by the memory, Raph started to laugh. "Remember when Leo said that to us?" Mikey nodded, and he let out a small laugh. "I dunno why he thought we would listen." Raph's laughter increased when he saw Captain Ryan slap one of his crewman to calm them down. "He even tried to do that to you one time!" Mikey couldn't help but laugh at that memory. "It didn't help at all!" Their laughter filled the Layer. Mikey managed to get enough breath to add one more memory to the pile. "What about the time when he called us 'The Turtles of Justice'?! Remember that one, Raph?" That made them laugh even harder, but an even better Leo moment formed in Raph's mind. He sat up waving his hands, letting Mikey prepare for what was to come. "Wait, wait, wait!" Raph stood up and got in the middle of the pit. "I got another one." He pretended to draw swords, put on his most serious face, and took a defensive stance. "It's time to put old Mother Hubbard back in her cupboard." That one did it. They rolled on the floor while holding onto their stomachs and gasped for air. It felt good for them to laugh again. The Lair had been dark for too long, and it was about time some light was let in.

Donnie heard Mikey and Raph laughing and decided to go and check it out. "I'll be back soon, Leo. Do you need anything?" Leo remained a motionless ball in the middle of the cage. Donnie sighed and walked over to the door. "Alright, just let me know when you do." With that, Donnie left the lab. Leo listened to the door shut and waited to make sure that no one was going to come in. Once he was sure, he sprung onto his feet and started to stretch. _**I did not know you were such an astounding actor, Leonardo. **_"Yeah, I know. That's kind of an important skill to have as a ninja. You of all people should've known that. You're the 'genius'." _**I did. I just did not know that you had mastered it. You have shown great weakness in other areas, so I assumed that you- **_"Alright. I get it…I think that my brothers are really starting to believe that I've broken." _**Mhmm. It is amazing how easily they are fooled. Much like you were before I came along. **_"Yep. I am now a fully blossomed ninja." _**Your sarcasm is not necessary. **_"What's the point of you being here if I can't have a little fun with you?" _**Come now, Leonardo. We need to remain serious. We cannot lose our focus. **_"Right. Why do you think I'm stretching right now? I'm fixing to sneak in some training." Leo bent down and touched his toes. "Care to join me, V?" _**V? Hmm…I approve, and of course I will join you. I do not really have a choice in the matter now do I? **_Leo laughed. "I guess not. Would you show me that last kata again when we start? I don't think I have it down yet." _**Sure. Just remember the plan, and everything will fall into place. We cannot lose sight of our 'bright future'. **_"I must admit, Donnie did give some great advice. He will do just fine without me." _**He will, and so will Splinter. **_Leo paused mid-stretch and clenched his fists. "I can't believe he did that to me. After all I did for him. After all of the lessons, training, beatings, and stress, he just let me go. How could he do that to me?!" _**Leonardo! Keep your voice down. We do not need to be drawing attention to ourselves. **_"Sorry, V." Leo whispered, "I'm just so angry. At first I was shattered, but now it has only made me stronger because now I finally see the truth…with your help of course." _**Always happy to help, Leonardo. Shall we begin training? Your brothers will probably be showing up soon. **_"Sure thing. Just show me that kata again."

Donnie walked down the steps and saw Mikey and Raph rolling on the floor belting out their laughs. He walked over to the pit and he couldn't stand not knowing anymore. "What is so funny?" Mikey managed to calm himself down long enough to explain. "We were talking about Leo's geek moments. Raph did the best impression!" Donnie let out a small laugh. "Was it old Mother Hubbard? That's the best one." Raph nodded. "Sure was!" "I guess I missed out, then." Donnie sat down on the couch and let himself relax. Raph and Mikey got up and sat down beside him. "Hey, Donnie?" Raph's face was serious, and Donnie knew exactly what he was going to ask. _So much for relaxing._ "He's not any better, and I'm not making any progress on a cure. I'm not even sure if there is such a thing anymore." Donnie put his head in his hands. "I've read those Kraang files over and over. The ones that I'm able to read anyways. Most of them are in their native language. The ones I can read tell me that it will undo the mutation, but not to what extent. They don't tell me how much I should use, if I should do it multiple times, or if Leo would suffer more than what he would gain." Mikey put his hand on his brother's shell. "Bro, you got this. You always figure something out. I mean, come _on_! You built a submarine, a robot, the ShellRaiser, those go-carts, the T-phone, and you've been working on that balloon thingy. There's nothing that Donnie can't do!" Raph reached over and swatted the back of Mikey's head. "It's called a blimp, shell-brain." Mikey started to rub the back of his head and mumbled to himself. "I'll come up with a cool name later." Raph shook his head and looked at Donnie. "He is right though." Raph paused and shook his head. "I can't believe I just said that." Donnie smiled at his brothers, and he held his head a little higher. "Thanks, guys. I know that I can do this. I'm just usually close to an answer by now or at least have an idea. I just need to relax so that my mind can make sense of all this mess." Donnie let himself close his eyes and leaned back into the couch. He cleared his mind and let everything go. The sounds of the Lair faded away, and he felt as if he was floating. Suddenly, it hit him. "I got it!" Donnie jumped up from the couch nearly knocking Raph and Mikey over. Raph watched as his brother sprinted away and slammed the lab doors behind him. "Mind tellin' us, Donnie?" He looked over at Mikey who was just as bewildered as he was. "Man, he can be such a spaz." Mikey laughed. "Yeah, but after there's always something awesome."

Donnie ran over to the container of undoagen and brought it to his desk. He pulled up the Kraang files and looked at the one thing he needed, an equation. It was in one of the files he couldn't read, and he couldn't believe that he didn't see it before. In the lower right corner rested the key to his problems. It was unlike any equation he had seen before, but it was an equation no less. He quickly wrote it down on his note pad and went to work.

A few hours past, and he had finally reached his solution. Donnie had the biggest smile on his face as he walked over to Leo. "Leo, bro! I got it!" He didn't even wait for his brother's response and ran out into the middle of the pit and yelled "I GOT IT!" Donnie threw his hands up in the air. "I _FRICKIN'_ GOT IT!" Raph and Mikey ran into the room. Mikey was jumping with excitement. His big blue eyes were filled to the brim with a new light. "You got it?!" Donnie's smile got even bigger. "Yes, I got it." Mikey jumped up in the air. "Yes, he got it!" Raph shoved his little brothers aside. "Alright. We get it! You got it. It's been got." Splinter silently walked up behind Raph. "He got it?" Raph turned around sharply and growled. "_Yes!_ He go- ugh. Sorry, Sensei." Splinter nodded, "It is alright, Raphael." He looked at his brightest son. "Donatello, are you confident in your solution?" "Yes, Sensei. I just need to do it." "Alright, do it then." With that, they all headed toward Donnie's lab.

Leo heard his brother's celebration. "I _FRICKIN'_ GOT IT!" He laughed to himself as he stood up and stretched. "He always gets so excited when he figures something out." _**Too bad it is toward your experimentation. **_"Yeah. That sucks." _**We just need to continue to play along. Once the opportunity presents itself, we will strike. **_"Strike is a strong word, V. I don't want to kill them. No matter how much they have done to me or how angry they've made me, they are…were my family. I just couldn't bring myself to do that." _**You are still weak. Strength will come in time, however. **_"Just by training with you I have gotten stronger, and it's only been a little over a week. I have made more progress in that time with you than I ever did with Splinter." _**It is because he is an incompetent fool. There are many more things that I can make stronger, Leonardo. The next thing we need to work on is your mind, intelligence specifically. **_"I'm not dumb, V." _**No, but you are average. You need to be remarkable. **_"Alright. What are you going to do? Make me do study sessions?" _**In a way… **_"Hmm…as long as it'll be beneficial." _**Oh, it will, Leonardo. It will. **_Leo heard the lab doors screech open. _**He's coming. Lie down. **_Leo quickly laid down and assumed his helpless façade.

"Hey, Leo." Donnie cautiously approached the cage's gates, container of undoagen in his gloved hands. "I'm going to be able to cure you. I figured it out." Leo slowly rolled over and looked up at his brother. "So I heard." Donnie laughed as he fumbled with the cage's lock. "Donnie, wait." Raph came up behind him and whispered. "Are you sure it's a good idea to unlock this thing?" Donnie waved his hand. "It's fine, Raph. Leo isn't exactly in the mental or physical shape to fight." They both looked at Leo. He was so feeble, and there was absolutely no fight left in him. Donnie continued to open the gate. He didn't even bother to lock it back as he entered. "You don't even have to move, Leo. Hey, Raph?" "What?" Donnie pointed over at his desk. "Hand me that syringe, spatula, and shot." Raph nodded and walked over to his brother's desk. Donnie looked back at Leo and gently put the undoagen down on the ground. "All I am going to do is measure out what I need and inject it into your arm. Then I will measure out the rest and put on your skin to act as a counterbalance so that there isn't an overreaction. Understand?" Before Leo could answer, Raph returned with Donnie's materials. "Thanks." Donnie grabbed the utensils and laid them out. "You ready, Leo?" Leo remained calm and sat up. "Leo, this will be easier if you laid back down." He looked past Donnie and saw Splinter standing behind the cage's bars. "What is he doing here?" Donnie turned around to see who he was talking about. When he realized it was Splinter, he became confused. "Splinter?" Leo nodded. "Yes." Donnie raised a gloved hand and scratched his head. "Uh, because he's your father and wants to know if you're alright." Leo shook his head. "No. He doesn't care." Splinter heard this and entered the cage. "My son," Leo couldn't take these games any longer. _Opportunity, V?_ _**Opportunity. **_Leo sprung up from the floor. All of the paleness in Leo's face vanished, and the strength in his body returned. The small family was shocked. He looked even stronger than before. Donnie slowly stood up and backed away, falling behind his sensei. "Leonardo." "Yes, father?" Leo's voice was full of scorn. He tilted his head to the side. "Do I seem different?" Splinter approached his son and reached out to him. "My son,-" Leo shoved Splinter's hands aside. "How dare you call me that?! After you disowned me, you come to me expecting love?" Leo crossed his arms. "You said it best yourself. 'Your place in my heart is no more.'" Splinter shook his head. "Leonardo, I have always loved you. I would never shun you out of my life. You are my son and you will always have a place in my heart." Leo's body only became more guarded. "Splinter, you are one amazing ninja. That I have to respect. Your power of deception is impeccable. You have taught me everything I know, until recently." Leo got into a defensive stance. "I have learned a great deal from V." Splinter readied himself. "Leonardo, this isn't you." Leo shook his head. "You still don't get it do you? I am me, only better. V has shown me that." "Please, my son. See the truth. V is only manipulating you." Leo's dark laugh filled the lab. "V is manipulating me? Granted, that's how it began, but now we have become partners. V has shown me how to be a more effective ninja, and it's only been a little over week. In that short time, my body can do things I never thought it could. V has been a better sensei than you in many ways, Splinter." Leo saw the hurt in Splinters eyes, but he didn't care. Splinter didn't show any remorse when he ripped his heart out, so why should he? "Now out of my way before Donnie's experiment starts." Donnie stepped out in between his father and his brother. "Leo, I'm not trying to experiment on you. I'm trying to cure you from this…insanity." Leo shook his head. "I fell for that before, Donnie, and I don't intend on doing it again. Move, or I'll have to do it for you." Donnie drew his bo. "No." Mikey and Raph came to his side, their weapons at the ready. Leo laughed. "Well isn't this cute. The three sons protecting their father." Mikey stepped forward. "Come one dude, snap out of it." "Your stupidity is as strong as ever, Mikey. Out of my way." Mikey fell back into line with his brothers. "No." Leo shrugged. "Fine. I'll just squeeze in my training now." He leapt into action and attacked his brothers. He was a machine and plowed through them, defeating each one easily. Splinter watched in horror as his eldest son overpowered his brothers. The moves Leo were performing were ones he mastered much later in life. He never expected his son to be this advanced at this point, but it had happened because of V…not him. Leo charged at him, and Splinter dodged his attack. "Leonardo, enough." Leo paused and looked at him. "Now I know why I was so weak before. You never take risks. You don't even have the guts to fight me. Are you intimidated by me? Your 'student'? I'm supposed to be worse than you right?" Leo assumed his stance. "Fight me!" Splinter shook his head. "No." "You are such a coward! Fight me!" Splinter remained still. "Alright, it's my move then." Leo charged. Splinter did not want to do this, but he had no choice. He evaded Leo's first few attacks. They were all moves he had seen before, but the Leo did something not even he knew. His luck ran out, and Splinter crashed to the floor. "Not so high and mighty now are you, Splinter? I can't believe I called you sensei. You don't deserve such a title." Leo saw his brothers starting to get up, and Mikey was the only one who was able to stand. He saw his father on the ground, and his big brother towering over him. He couldn't believe it. His father had fallen. Leo looked at Mikey and smiled as he placed his foot on Splinter's stomach in the ultimate show of dominance. "You might want to reconsider your choice of sensei." Leo shoved Splinter aside and ran out of the lab.

**Now, you couldn't have possibly thought I would've made it as easy as undoagen + Leo= cured? MUWAHAHA! XD I hope I made up for the long absence by this longer chapter. :) Also, I think some thank yous are in order. I would like to thank YAY Productions for her awesome words of encouragement, and I would also like to thank my little reviewers. It's because of you that this well…madness continues. Lol :D I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Till next time! ;)**__


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone…it's just been a bad week. I won't go into detail, but I'd greatly appreciate it if you shot a prayer up to the big man or do whatever it is in your religion for people in my situation. :) OHHH and I FRICKIN HATE WINDOWS 8! When I was writing, Word froze and lost the entire chapter! I had to start ALL OVER! I was pissed…still am. *raaaaage* Ahem…okay so with that being said, welcome to Chapter 10! Woot woot! :D Let's see how the gang is holding up…**

Madness

Chapter 10: Time

Mikey sat in the pit, messing with the bandages on his hands. They had just gotten back from yet another failed search for their brother. It had been two weeks since they had last seen Leonardo, and it was taking its toll. He was seeing it change his family, and himself. He no longer had the desire to pull pranks on his brothers or crack jokes. He had tried early on in an attempt to cheer everyone up, but it back fired. Mikey reached up and rubbed the bandage on his arm. Raph wasn't amused. He hadn't meant to hurt Mikey, but he couldn't control himself, and Mikey understood that. He was wound up tighter than usual, so it didn't take much for him to snap. Mikey looked over at his older brother as he punched out his frustrations. Sweat was dripping down his face, and his knuckles were beginning to bleed. Raph paused and looked at his younger brother, maintaining his hard expression. Mikey sighed and looked down at the ground. Normally, this would be the time Splinter would come in and give them advice, but normalcy was long gone. They hadn't seen much of their sensei lately. He spent most of his time in his room meditating, and they had stopped training altogether. Mikey wasn't even sure if his father was eating. Then he heard a shock noise come from the lab, followed by a tight string of Japanese.

Donnie was a whole other story. He stayed in his lab, working himself into the ground. He hardly ever slept; and when he did, it was at his desk in a pile of papers. Mikey didn't even know what he was working on, but it didn't really matter. If it kept Donnie busy and sane, he would let him do it. He just wished that Donnie would at least take a break and spend time with him. Donnie hardly ever talked to anyone; and when he did, it was about Leo.

His family was drifting apart. There was no break in their suffering, and he couldn't find a way to make one, no matter how hard he tried. Without Leo to help them stick together, they were falling apart. Mikey wished that his brother would return soon because if he didn't, he would lose two more.

Leo woke up and rubbed his eyes. "Mornin'." _**Good morning, Leonardo. Sleep well? **_Leo reached his arms up to the ceiling, and a deep yawn escaped from his lips. _**I will take that as a yes. **_The bed frame squealed as he brought his feet to the floor. The abandoned apartment he had been living in for the past few weeks wasn't much, but it served its purpose. It was far enough away so that his brothers couldn't find him, but it was close enough that he could go in and keep an eye on things. He had made sure that he was the one in control while they were finding a place to live. He thought that he couldn't handle more innocent blood on his hands, no matter how much V deemed it necessary. They were working together now, but he was doing his best to make sure he was the one on top. He was able to do it too, most of the time. V told him the day after he found the apartment that he had killed another person. Another innocent life lost by his hand. However, he wasn't as troubled by it as he should have been. This disturbed Leo to his core, but then again it didn't. He couldn't find the words to explain this to V or himself, but Leo knew just what to do when he felt this way. He rose from his bed and stretched his legs. "I'm going to do my morning meditation. I'll be done in about an hour, V." _**Alright, Leonardo. We will start our training shortly after. **_"Sure." Leo sat on the floor and lit a candle. He had recently discovered that while meditating, he was alone. V couldn't touch him there, and it was perfect. It allowed him to escape this madness of a life and think for himself. He didn't have to second guess anything he thought, saw, or felt because here he was truly himself. Leo took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and drifted away welcoming the silence.

Mikey continued to lay on the pit's bench and stared up at the ceiling. Raph had finally decided to take a break from the punching bag, mostly because he noticed the red fist prints that were starting to appear. Now, he was sitting on the bean bag not far from Mikey feeding Spike a strawberry. They both shot up when they heard an explosion come from Donnie's lab. He emerged from the smoke pillowing out from the lab doors. The ends of his mask were singed, and he was coughing profusely. Donnie walked over and sat next to Mikey muttering to himself. Mikey reached out to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dude…what happened?" Donnie huffed and crossed his arms. "The stupid wiring doesn't want to work with me. It either shocks the shell out of me or explodes in my face! Why is it always my _face_?!" Mikey chuckled to himself and asked "What is it anyways?" Donnie looked at his little brother and raised one end of his mask. "Why do you want to know?" A small smile escaped on Mikey's face as he started to twiddle his thumbs. "I thought that…maybe it's a-" Donnie raised his hand before his brother could continue. "If you say rocket powered skateboard, _I'm_ gonna explode." Mikey's face dropped, and he looked down at the floor. Donnie sighed and put a hand on his little brother's shell. "But…I am working on a way to find Leo." That caught Raph's attention. He got up and joined his brother's on the bench while placing Spike on his shoulder and asked "How?" as he continued to feed Spike. Donnie looked over at his brother, and he couldn't help but smile a little. It was hard to take Raph seriously when he had Spike on his shoulder, especially while feeding him a strawberry. "Remember when we put that sonar system up around town?" Mikey and Raph nodded. "Well, I have been working on how to expand their range as far as I can across the city. That's why I keep on shocking myself. I have to create a whole new system in order for it to work." Donnie reached up and wiped his forehead. "At this rate, I'm gonna have to go back to the military junk yard and find some more stable parts. The ones I have are just too far gone to save. Once I do that, I'll be able to see all of New York. Which means I'll be able to track Leo down."

Raph paused from feeding Spike and looked at Donnie. "That doesn't really narrow it down." Donnie put his hand on his chin. "Well, he's either hiding in an abandoned apartment building or warehouse." Raph's voice got louder. "We know." He said while standing up and placing Spike on the bench. Mikey grabbed him, put him in his lap, and braced himself. "That's what we've been doing for the past two weeks!" This time Donnie stood up, and his body became rigid. "Really? I didn't know _that_. It's not like I've _been_ there or anything!" Raph clinched his fists. "This wouldn't have happened if _you_ hadn't been _there_ getting that damn mutagen!" Donnie bowed up and looked down at his brother. "Have you forgotten that you were there _with_ me?!" They were both screaming at this point and were dangerously close to each other. "You could have stopped me!" Raph reached down for his sais. "Oh, yeah? Like you were gonna! When you get like that, you're blind Donnie! You don't listen to anyone!" Donnie unsheathed his staff. "Like you do? You have no room to talk, Raph!" Raph twirled his sais, and they faced each other, ready to fight. Anger and frustration were etched on their faces.

Mikey looked back and forth between his brothers. _What would Leo do? _He thought to himself. Mikey stood up and jumped in between his brothers, right before they stared to go at it. He pushed them away from each other and kept his arms up, creating a barrier between them. "Dudes! Knock. It. Off!" Raph and Donnie snapped a look at their little brother, eyes wide. "We don't need to be doing this right now. We have to stick together so that we can get our bro back. Don't break!" Donnie and Raph took a deep breath and put their weapons away. "Guys, we haven't been talking to each other at all except for when we go on patrol." Mikey's voice was calm and solid. "We've been hiding from each other and trying to handle this on our own. We can't be doing that anymore." He put his arms down and crossed them in front of his chest and took a deep breath. Looking between his two brothers he said, "I'm tired of the silence. If we don't talk it out," Mikey saw that Raph was fixing to say something, but he shot him a glare that could cut through steel. Raph didn't say a word. "we _will_ fall apart and never find Leo." The three brothers remained tense. They continued to look at each other trying to read what the other was thinking. It didn't last long because Donnie quickly broke the silence. "Well then, let's try this again." Raph nodded, and the three of them sat on the bench as Donnie explained his plan. Raph stayed quiet, and Mikey looked up at his big brother trying to understand what he was talking about.

The absence of their leader was taking its toll. Cracks were beginning to form in their bonds, and Mikey was the only one who was able to patch it up. They were small this time, but time is unforgiving because the longer you let something go, the harder it becomes to rein it in.

Leo raced across the rooftops. He wasn't interested in saving people anymore. Compassion was all but obliterated from Leo's mind, but it was refreshing to feel the fresh air in his lungs. He approached the roof's edge and flipped through the air, landing on the opposite ledge. He turned on his heels and began to walk along the rooftop's border. Leo loved the feeling of uncertainty. In fact, he welcomed it. One false step, and he could plummet to the merciless asphalt below, or he could remain unharmed and safe on the rooftop's ledge. It used to not be this way. He always had to know if his plans would turn out either successful or burst into flames. The risk of failure had always consumed him, controlling everything he did. Everything he deemed important. That alone was enough, but he also had the weight of his brothers on his shoulders. He couldn't fail because that would mean failing them. His family…but that was no more. The thought of family made him sick. It was the source of all his stress and misery. It was what made him obsessed with success and certainty in the first place. Leo turned and faced the street. His bandana tails whipped behind him in the cold New York wind as he raised his hands up to the sky. The wind engulfed him as he closed his eyes. He let his body relax and swayed back and forth with the rhythm of the gusts, letting everything go. He put one foot over the ledge and let it dangle in the vulnerable space. He pushed it even further and leaned deeper into the gusts of wind. Suddenly, his body tensed, and he firmly planted his feet on the thin ledge. He looked up to the stars as he clenched his fists and released a scream that spread through the night sky. It didn't even sound like him. It had come from somewhere deep within. All of his anger, frustration, and pain escaped in that one horrible cry. They filled the air around him, and he was immersed in his rage. Leo lowered his arms and stared at the street below, becoming an empty shell with bandana tails flowing in the wind.

Leo's scream caused lights to appear in nearby windows, but he didn't care. No one was going to mess with him anyways. He was a monster in their eyes. Maybe, he was one in his own. Leo shook his head at the thought and came down from his perch. His face hardened as he heard a woman scream from a window in the next building. He turned and saw her. She was an older woman with a soft face. She could've even been considered beautiful, back in her prime. However, she was just like the rest of them. She would never know how much he had done for her. How many times this "monster" had saved her life. She would never welcome him into her home or thank him for his deeds. No. She would only see him for what was on the surface. This woman never cared. They will _never_ care. If they ever got their hands on him, they would experiment on him and dissect him like a frog. They would be blinded by what he was on the outside, never to know what was truly there. He deserved recognition not _dissection_. He was their hero, guarding them from the threats that had lurked in the shadows.

Splinter had told him that being a leader meant not receiving thanks, and that the fact you saved lives was a thank you in itself. Leo laughed to himself and started to approach the woman. These "lives" didn't deserve to be saved. They were undeserving of such a blessing. They were snakes that slithered across the Earth, uncaring and selfish. Everything they did caused him pain and suffering. Their covetous and callous actions spurred the very problems he had to face. They were the cause of everything.

Leo saw the woman start to reach down. She clutched a baseball bat in her hands for dear life. As she rose, it began to wobble back and forth. Leo rolled his eyes. This woman in particular was her own brand of pathetic, and her ridiculously fluffy robe didn't help. She was fragile, weak, just like everyone else. He could get rid of her in a matter of seconds, ridding the world of another snake.

He leaped across the alleyway and landed on her fire escape. As long as he had her attention, he might as well use it to his advantage. "Miss," Leo put his arms across his chest and smugly said, "what do you expect to do with that?" The bat shook vigorously in her delicate hands. So much so that he was surprised she hadn't hit herself in the head yet. "Well?" Leo pressed. She remained a frozen, wobbly statue. Her mouth opened, and he could hear her take a deep breath preparing to scream. Before she could, Leo reached out with his right hand and clasped it around her mouth. The left naturally went to the back of her head. "Ssshh." Leo's twisted smile emerged on his face. He tilted his head and looked at the terrified woman. "There's no need for that." Leo started to tap his finders on the woman's face and chuckled. "You do realize what I could do from this position?" The woman's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah, so you do." Leo leaned in closer to the woman's face. Her breath hitting his cheeks. "It's really just a flick of the wrist." He analyzed her reaction. Anger, sadness, doubt, and fear spread across her face in a matter of seconds. Excitement filled Leo's empty shell. "However, that method is just…boring." Leo's brow furrowed in concentration, then the perfect idea formed in his mind. Leo tilted his head and whispered in the woman's ear. "_This_ is going to be fun." As he was beginning to follow through, he heard a silent thud behind him.

"I'm all for fun, but this seems a little dark for you, hero."

**Ruh rough! *Scooby voice* Ugghh…SWEET BEANS! I apologize again for the insanely long delay. I'm so frickin sorry my friends. *sigh* I'll do better. Pinky promise. I'll even swear on my Leo plushy. That's how much I care. :) Anyways, till next time! ;) ….(which will be in about 2 days *fingers crossed*) **


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